COLUMBUS, GA. (WRBL) -- COVID cases and hospitalizations are climbing in Muscogee County.
And Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson is concerned as we appear to be in the fourth surge of the pandemic.
"I am not angry," Henderson said Tuesday morning in his Government Center office. "I am frustrated. Because it’s knowing that you have the capability to create an atmosphere here in our community that people can get out completely back to normal. And people for whatever reason are not taking advantage of that. We have talked with doctors, and we have talked with community leaders about the possibility of setting up a hotline so they can get their questions answered.”
Look at the numbers and you can see what’s happening with the COVID-19 virus in Muscogee County.
New cases are up from six on July 1 to 26 on Monday on a rolling seven-day average.
Cases per 100,000 residents are up 34 on July 1st to 152 on Monday.
Hospitalizations in Columbus are up from 27 on the first of July to 61 on Monday.
There are more than 191,000 people in Columbus. 31 percent are fully vaccinated. 35 percent have one dose.
And he says he’s not considering a mask mandate like the one put in place Monday in Savannah.
"… We have got the weapon," Henderson said. "We have got it. It’s sitting there waiting for us to go take advantage of it.”
And the decision not to get the shot can be costly.
Henderson tells News 3 that he has known three unvaccinated people who have passed away from COVID-related causes.
“It is a hard thing when a family finds out, in fact, that this virus is serious because they have lost somebody," Henderson said. "I can’t imagine the pain that they go through. And our prayer is people will rationally and scientifically do their investigations, gather the information from credible sources. And I think when you do that, a lot of the information you see out on social media is simply not accurate.”
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