UNION COUNTY, Ga. — Officials in the Union County Government are calling on residents to do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19 and continue “business as usual.”
They say Union General Hospital has been above capacity for several weeks. Hospital staff says they are still working to serve the community and anyone who needs their care should not hesitate to come in.
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Officials say more than 80% of people currently in Union General Hospital are COVID-19 patients.
They are encouraging the residents of Union County to wear a mask, social distance, wash hands and get vaccinated.
Government officials say that 92% people in Union General Hospital with COVID-19 are unvaccinated.
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“Each one of us loves Union County and wants to continue ‘business as usual,’ so this is our reminder to everyone that we do not want to shut down our recreation activities, county facilities and programs, festivals, etc.,” the government said in a Facebook post.
The county has seen 263 new COVID cases since the beginning of August. 76 of those cases came in the last two days alone.
Here’s the full Facebook post:
Dear Union County residents,
We want to take a few minutes to express our thoughts on the current increase in COVID-19 cases in Union County and to beg your assistance in helping us get through this difficult time. Here is what you need to know:
Union General Hospital is currently above capacity with patients in their hospital and in their emergency room and have been for a couple of weeks. The dedicated staff at Union General Hospital want to communicate that although they are at and beyond capacity, they will continue to do their best to take care of our community. Please don’t avoid coming to the hospital if you need care. We do want you to know that more than 80 percent of the patients admitted to the hospital are sick with COVID, and it is becoming more difficult to find beds for critical patients in any of the surrounding larger hospitals. We have added 263 new COVID cases since August 1st, with 76 of those in the last two days.
Each one of us loves Union County and wants to continue “business as usual”, so this is our reminder to everyone that we do not want to shut down our recreation activities, county facilities and programs, festivals, etc. So, we would like to encourage and remind you to wear a mask, social distance, wash hands, and even more important, get vaccinated if you can. Those with vaccines are much less likely to get severely ill and be hospitalized with COVID compared to those who are not vaccinated. Currently, at Union General, 92% of the patients who are admitted to the hospital with COVID are unvaccinated. This percentage has consistently been >90% unvaccinated.
Let’s all do our part to get through this difficult time and protect ourselves, our friends and family, and especially our children.
Union County Commissioner Lamar Paris and staff
Sheriff Mack Mason
Major Shawn Dyer
Honorable Raymond E. George, Chief Judge Enotah Judicial Circuit
Union County Fire Chief, EMA Director, and 911 Director David Dyer and staff
City Police Chief Bear Baxter
City of Blairsville Mayor Jim Conley
Union County 911 Dispatch Lt. Millie Baxter
Union General Hospital
Union County School Superintendent John Hill
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