Leadership at the @CDCgov want to overhaul the agency after recent missteps. But two things could complicate that plan: more than 3/4 of it's ~13k person workforce are working remotely. And @CDCDirector spends a lot of time on the road.🗒️ @KHNews and @CNN cnn.it/3Fj8YDs @CDCgov @CDCDirector @KHNews @CNN Lots of folks have been working remotely, and CDC employees told me there are definite benefits.

Workplace organization efforts say there are also costs: weaker social connections, less understanding of an investment in a workplace's culture and goals.

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So, this is pretty stunning. @GaDPH is asking people to not go to the ER for non emergencies, because they're so overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. Check out the full release below.

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#gapol #coronavirusGA @GaDPH I've been seeing a lot of chatter on here for the last few weeks about hospitals here or there being busy and on diversion. For the state's public health agency to feel like things were SO BAD they had to send this out ... yikes.

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THIS: It's a little late, but here is the final White House Coronavirus Task Force report from the Trump administration. It features some lessons learned from the federal officials on the panel, many that speak directly to the situation in Georgia.

bit.ly/3odxVUR

1/n - Georgia is back to 6th in the country for new cases in the week leading up to 1.17 (not long ago we were doing better than nearly every other state)
- 5th in the country for test positivity
- 97 percent of all counties in the state in the "red zone"

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YES, ANOTHER THREAD: @GovKemp says more COVID-19 shots will be made available to the general public. Georgia's weekly allocation will go from 80k > 120k doses because already shots have been set aside for long-term care facilities.

1/n @GovKemp Kemp stressed, in a presser that just wrapped, that there will still be much more demand than supply, eve with the bumped up allocation. He says the state isn't ready to move into later vaccine phases, which would open up vaccination to other groups.

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More health budget hearings happening this morning at the Georgia Capitol and by Zoom. First up, @GADCH which oversees Medicare and Medicaid and regulates LTC facilities in Georgia, which have been hit hard by the pandemic.

Stream here: bit.ly/3iAi3eg

#gapol

1/many @GADCH About 1/3 of all COVID deaths in the state have been among people in long-term care facilities.

Though, DCH only shares info on facilities with 25 beds or more. Not a lot of good data on deaths linked to smaller settings in the state.

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INBOX: @RWalensky, the new head of @CDCgov promises a "comprehensive review of all existing guidance related to COVID-19" and that "comprehensive review of all existing guidance related to COVID-19."

Full statement below.

1/n @RWalensky @CDCgov The press release came just a few hours after Biden was sworn in.

There was lots of meddling from Trump administration officials in the CDC's previous pandemic guidance, which we learned from folks like @apoorva_nyc @ddiamond @Pien_Huang and others.

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Two numbers from my conversation with @GNRHealth's director, Dr. Arona, I can't stop thinking about.

Number 1: Last week, her department, which serves Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale got 1200 vaccine doses.

There are close to 1m people in Gwinnett county, alone.

1/n @GNRHealth Sure, they don't all qualify for the current phase of vaccination (and other non-public providers are also getting shots).

Even so, that doesn't strike me as a lot of doses for a district that includes one of the state's most populous counties.

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We're nearing the end of the @GaDPH budget hearing and we're just now getting in the numbers.

The big takeaway? Most of the things the state has been doing to fight the pandemic has been funded by the feds.

Here's a slide breaking down some of that money.

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#gapol @GaDPH And it looks, from Toomey's slides, that there isn't really a request for more state money to supplement that.

Some state money goes to matching federal grants, Toomey says, but needing to have that money has made them careful about what grants to take.

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Georgia is back in the "red zone" for new COVID-19 cases, says the latest report from the WH Coronavirus Task Force, obtained by @wabenews.

Some context: the state is in the highest threat level, the 40th highest infection rate in the country. (Yikes!)

1/n @wabenews The report says Georgia is seeing an uptick in cases with stable test positivity (generally matching state #s).

Report says "there is increasing
community spread, especially silent asymptomatic spread that will result in further increases in cases and hospitalizations."

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In March, I was asked by the folks at @wabenews to put together a podcast all about the coronavirus pandemic.

This week, we released our 100th episode, all about how @CDCgov says we can celebrate Thanksgiving safely this year.

bit.ly/32uZAZF

1/n @wabenews @CDCgov The conversations that have stuck with me most have been about people's personal experiences with COVID.

Like the mom who lost her young daughter: bit.ly/3niS5g7

The doctor who fought COVID after treating patients: bit.ly/36oueox

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BREAKING: Just got an update from @GovKemp on the state's efforts to address a surge in COVID-19 cases and here are a few highlights after a quick read.

For one, looks like the GWCC will be back in business soon to take on patients.

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#gapol #coronavirusGA @GovKemp But first, officials say they'll "leverage a new contract for enhanced bed capacity with a metro-Atlanta area hospital" with more details to come. Should add 100 surge and ICU beds.

Curious about the hospital--anyone got any tips to share?

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