University System News:
Tifton Gazette
Writing, communication majors win awards
Students majoring in the bachelor of science degree in writing and communication at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College are consistent award-winners in a variety of fields. Since the introduction of ABAC’s four-year degree in writing and communication in 2017, students in the program have won national and regional awards for their writing, broadcasting, filmmaking and research, college officials said in a statement. Writing and communication students from ABAC have been recognized by the Georgia College Press Association and the Southern Regional Press Institute. They have been selected to present their research at the Georgia Collegiate Honors Conference and at National Collegiate Honors conferences in Dallas and New Orleans. ABAC writing and communication students were also chosen to share their work at the National College Media Association Conference in Washington, DC. Jaylee Bass, a writing and communication graduate from Adel, received the ABAC Alumni Association award which goes to the top bachelor’s degree graduate at ABAC’s recent fall commencement ceremony.
Marietta Daily Journal
Rural Center to study workforce transportation program in Northwest Georgia
From staff reports
The Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation is launching a feasibility study on a vanpool program for workers in Floyd and nearby counties. Established by the General Assembly in 2019, the entity also known as Georgia’s Rural Center has identified workforce transportation as a vital piece of the puzzle for job creation and retainment. …Housed at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia’s Rural Center serves as a central information and research hub for rural best practices. Areas of focus include community planning, industry-specific assistance and other cooperative efforts with local partners.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Dec. 29)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 9,759 | Deaths have been confirmed in all counties but one (Taliaferro). This figure does not include additional cases that the DPH reports as suspected COVID-19-related deaths. County is determined by the patient’s residence, when known, not by where they were treated.
CONFIRMED CASES: 552,712 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
CBS46
Kemp speaks out about election lawsuits, COVID lockdowns, and vaccine optimism
Hayley Mason
Governor Brian Kemp tells CBS46 he is optimistic about the expected outcomes of the COVID-19 vaccine. …Kemp says Georgia’s Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey reported mild side effects. “She explained to us, and to the media, that she had a little soreness in her arm and some hot spots on her face for a couple hours, but nothing that bothered her and she’s been feeling fine ever since,” Kemp stated. He says so far there are no widespread complications reports in Georgia. While Georgia continues to see a spoke in COVID cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, Kemp says he still does not believe a lockdown or additional mandates are necessary. Governor Kemp today telling me Georgians need to quote hunker down as COVID numbers rise across all areas.
WRDW
COVID-19 patients flood Ga. hospitals, but state to get a lot more vaccine
By Staff and wire reports
Georgia now has more than 4,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19 as admissions rise at a pace that raises worries about health care facilities’ ability to handle demand. But help is on the way, with the state getting a boost in supplies of coronavirus vaccine. The state has moved into the top 20 for most new cases per capita in the past 14 days, seeing 3,100 new cases Monday after nearly 8,000 were recorded on Christmas Eve. South Carolina, meanwhile, saw a drop-off in new daily cases Monday with a little more than 1,500. It comes after state officials reported their worst surge in cases on Christmas Day with more than 4,300 cases.
WJBF
Frontline essential workers next in line to receive COVID-19 vaccine
by: Chloe Salsameda
While the pandemic forced many people to work from home this year, millions continue to go into work each day. Those essential workers include first responders, teachers, postal service workers and grocery store employees among others. Each day they go to work, they are at a higher risk of getting infected with COVID-19 because they are exposed to so many people. A CDC advisory panel recommends certain essential workers and people ages 75 and older receive the COVID-19 vaccine next in Phase 1B. …Essential workers in Phase 1B may not have to wait much longer to get vaccinated. Their turn could be just weeks away.
WFXG
As COVID-19 cases rise, local flu cases drop
By Mary Klingler
As we continue into flu season, the number of flu cases this year has steadily decreased, compared to previous years. Some believe this is due to safety measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. FOX 54 spoke to Dr. Rodger MacArthur with Augusta University who specializes in infectious diseases to learn more. He said, “This time last year over 15 percent of all the tests that we did to detect influenza were positive and we, just as of a few days ago, were at 0.0%. Anyone we’ve tested who might have had the flu didn’t have the flu.” According to Dr. MacArthur, that’s due to masking up during the pandemic and adhering to social distancing guidelines. But if we’re adhering to these Cornavirus safety guidelines well enough to fight the flu, why are COVID-19 cases still on the rise?
Higher Education News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s smaller colleges fight through pandemic’s financial impact
By Eric Stirgus
Reed Tucker enrolled at Berry College this year because, in part, he liked the campus environment. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, he’s made friends and found things to do there. Tucker and friends, for example, grabbed lawn chairs to watch movies outside their dorms. He goes hiking. His outlook on being on campus is to be cautious, but not fearful. …Small, private colleges like Berry managed through the fall semester by sharing resources, ideas to better teach classes remotely and new revenue-generating strategies. Many that opened their doors to students had to reassure students like Tucker that they would be safe. Administrators at these schools are hopeful for similar results in 2021, but some financial analysts and higher education experts say the upcoming year could be more difficult. …Moody’s, the prominent credit rating agency, released a report earlier this month predicting revenues for the nation’s colleges will decline by up to 10% over the next year due to the pandemic. “Smaller private and public universities that rely heavily on student charges, especially those that generate a high proportion of their revenue from auxiliary operations such as room and board, will feel the most significant operational and fiscal impact,” the report said. …There are about 125 private colleges and universities in Georgia, federal statistics show, more than two times the total in the state’s public university and technical college systems. Most are located in small cities and towns across the state like Rome, where Berry is located. About 115,000 students — more than twice the University of Georgia’s enrollment — attend these schools. State leaders and businesses are hoping those students will graduate and join Georgia’s workforce.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Covid-19 Is Pushing University Hospitals to Their Limits
By Jacquelyn Elias
Hospitals are being overrun as another wave of Covid-19 infections is filling available beds and stretching intensive-care units. And university teaching hospitals aren’t immune to the surge. A Chronicle analysis has found that one in five hospitals that were overcrowded as of December 17 are teaching hospitals. Eighteen such hospitals, including ones affiliated with the Universities of Oklahoma and Florida, are overflowing with patients, with more than 100 percent of their beds filled. The Chronicle analyzed facility-level data recently released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and identified more than 150 institutions as teaching hospitals because they have a university or college in their name or are members of the Association of American Medical Colleges. The federal data include such details as the number of inpatient and ICU beds filled, and the number of suspected Covid-19 patients. The Chronicle analysis focused on the average occupancy of total beds from December 11 to 17.