THOMASVILLE — Health and medical officials are continuing to urge residents to get vaccinated as cases have drastically increased in not just Thomas County but throughout the state of Georgia.

On July 20, Archbold Medical Center reported having 85 new COVID-19 cases and 17 hospital admissions.

Dr.Charles Ruis, director of public health services for Southwest Georgia Health District, said the increase of cases is caused by a combination of things, including vaccination rates. 

“In all likelihood, part of it is we have a variant of the virus that is more contagious than the original virus,” he said. “Couple that with people who have chosen not to get vaccinated and add to that people who are unvaccinated do not wear masks or practice social distancing. All those factors together contribute to the rise in cases in Georgia in general, and that includes Thomas County.”

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health vaccine distribution dashboard, 40% of Georgians have been fully vaccinated while 44% have been partially vaccinated.

Ruis said Thomas County’s numbers are lower.

“Thomas County’s numbers are below state average. Thirty-five percent are fully vaccinated and 39% are partially vaccinated,” he said. “Obviously, that’s less than 50% and we’re hoping to get way above 50%.”

Some hospitals across Georgia have also reported 90% of hospitalizations are unvaccinated people. 

For Thomas County, Archbold president and CEO Darcy Craven revealed in a statement released on July 20 that 89 of the 94 COVID-19 admissions in the past weeks were unvaccinated people. 

Achibold officials also confirmed that 56% of hospital admissions were under the age of 59. 

People over the age of 50 have greater vaccination rates, but the lower the age group, the lower the vaccination rates become, said Ruis. 

“No surprise people over 50 for the most part have great vaccination rates. People in their 20s are less than 25% and have received one dose of the vaccine and then when you get in the teenagers, it’s even lower than that,” he said.

While the vaccine wasn’t available to the youngest age group as long, Ruis said he hopes all age groups can follow behind the elder age group when it comes to vaccination rates. 

“The senior citizens have kind of done their part. If every age group could mirror the action of the elderly groups, we probably would have very few hospitalizations and deaths right now,” he said.

Ruis also said health officials can simply continue broadcasting the COVID-19 facts to try to encourage younger generations to get vaccinated.

“We’ve got enough information that we feel comfortable in saying that the current vaccines are helping to protect people from getting this Delta virus,” he said. “The fact is many sources are saying that until we get control of this virus, at some point it will mutate into a version that will be resistant to the vaccine and that will be far worse than anything we’ve seen.”

Other than getting the vaccine, Ruis urges everyone to continue to abide by COVID-19 guidelines, especially those who are not vaccinated.

“Wear a mask in public. People who have COVID-19 symptoms need to stay home and consult with their healthcare provider,” he said. “If we can work together, we are more likely to have a great result. That includes the cooperation of public health.

“We are very disappointed that the majority of people in Southwest Georgia are not vaccinated. The way we see it in healthcare is that the vaccine that is so tested and so safe could be available so quickly and it’s free. Some people see that as a negative, the way we see it in healthcare is that it’s a blessing,” he said.