ATLANTA, Ga. — Over 90% of intensive care unit beds in Georgia are now full as 5,528 people battle COVID-19 in the state’s hospitals.
Statewide, just under 90% of hospital beds are in use and 80% of emergency room beds are in use. Ventilators are at 48.5% capacity.
On Thursday, the Georgia Department of Health asked people to help ease the strain on medical facilities and to not to go to hospitals to get tested for COVID-19, as emergency rooms are stretched to capacity.
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Data from the Georgia Department of Health shows that 31.6% of all patients in Georgia hospitals are COVID-19 patients. In far southeast Georgia, nearly 60% of people hospitalized are battling COVID-19.
Far north Georgia isn’t faring much better, with over 40% of hospitalized patients battling COVID-19.
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Wellstar Health System, which runs several large Georgia hospitals, said Thursday that of the 641 COVID-19 patients they are caring for, 582 were unvaccinated (90.7%). Of those, 145 are in the ICU, 138 of them who are unvaccinated (97.2%) and 107 are on ventilators, 103 of whom are unvaccinated (96.3%).
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Just 50.5% of Georgians have had their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination, according to data from Covid ActNow.
Georgia reported 7.917 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday and 87 new deaths.
Earlier this week, Gov. Brian Kemp deployed more than 100 National Guard troops to hospitals across the state to help hospital.
“These guardsmen will assist our front-line health care workers as they provide quality medical care during the current increase in cases and hospitalizations, and I greatly appreciate General (Tom) Carden and his team for their willingness to answer the call again in our fight against COVID-19,” Kemp said.
Piedmont Newnan asked for assistance from the National Guard on Thursday.
“The hospital has asked to receive combat medics, who can assist with the high numbers of COVID-19 patients, largely unvaccinated and requiring a higher level of care,” hospital officials wrote.
On Thursday, officials with the Georgia Department of Public Health said that hospitals across the state are on diversion, meaning they are unable to provide normal emergency care to patients arriving by ambulance.
Diversion does not apply to people seeking emergency medical care, so people with medical emergencies are still asked to call 911.
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