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The ADVANCE, August 25, 2021 /Page 3A
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
EXPERT ADVICE — The Vidalia City Council heard from Memorial Health Meadows
Hospital CEO Matt Hasbrouck, Meadows CMO Dr. Karen McColl, and Pediatric In
fectious Disease Physician Dr, Steve Thacker, who provided updates on the COVID
impact in the Vidalia area. Their message was "vaccinate and mask up." The virus
is expected to peak in this area on Friday, August 27.
COVID
continued from page 1A
The Vidalia City
Council heard from Me
morial Health Meadows
Hospital CEO Matt Hasb
rouck, Meadows CMO Dr.
Karen McColl, and Mead
ows CMO and Pediatric
Infectious Disease Physi
cian Dr. Steve Thacker,
who attended the Council
session August 9 to update
the community about the
COVID impact.
Hasbrouck began
the discussion by inform
ing the Council that the
hospital was seeing “un
precedented numbers” of
patients on the ventilator.
“Normally, we have 2-3
patients on the vent at a
time at Meadows; at this
moment, we have 12,” he
explained.
Hasbrouck also voiced
his gratitude for the hospi
tal’s alignment with Hospi
tal Corporation of America
(HCA), Meadows’ parent
company, prior to the CO
VID spike. Without this
partnership, the hospital
would be in a “disaster,”
he said, adding, “Small
hospitals all around us are
struggling. We cannot call
these hospitals, like Met-
ter, for extra ventilators or
supplies because they do
not have enough for them
selves,” he told the Coun
cil. “But luckily, HCA does
have 184 hospitals in this
country that can share re
sources.”
Dr. McColl reflected
on the state of the county
regarding COVID. “August
has been the worst we’ve
ever seen at Meadows, and
personally, the worst I have
ever seen in my medical ca
reer,” she shared.
“The thing we need
most right now from the
public is for them to take
their own precautionary
measures. Socially dis
tance, wear your mask, and
protect yourselves as much
as possible,” she said. “Also,
a large problem we are hav
ing right now is the lack of
testing availability. The De
partment of Public Health
is only testing on Tuesdays,
and it is imperative for
them to offer more days to
keep the Emergency De
partment (ED) running as
smoothly as possibly.”
Dr. McColl informed
the Council that the ED
is being flooded with in
dividuals who simply
needed testing for work,
school, and other endeav
ors. “Please use whatever
personal connections you
have and help us fight for
this (additional testing),”
she pleaded.
In a phone interview
on Monday, Dr. McColl
stressed the importance of
masking up in public spac
es, both inside and outside,
to curb the spread of the
virus. She said the Delta
variant is easily spread in
school and church settings,
as well as at outside pub
lic gatherings like football
games.
Dr. Thacker spoke
to the Council about the
surge in the infection rate
among children and ado
lescents. “It has not been
determined why youth are
more susceptible to this
particular strand, but it is
important that these young
people take precautions
like everyone else, espe
cially in school and sports
settings,” he said.
He told the Council
that at that current time,
seven youths were hos
pitalized with COVID in
the Children’s Hospital in
Savannah, which is a refer
ral facility for Memorial
Hospital. “Yes, this is a low
number in comparison to
adults—but for children,
it is a large amount, espe
cially when you take into
account that children have
lost their lives to this ill
ness,” he disclosed.
According to Dr.
Thacker, the number of
those hospitalized does
not reflect the amount of
youth who are infected.
Children enter the hospital
daily and test positive for
the coronavirus, he said.
The medical experts shared
that epidemiologists be
lieve the spread within
the Montgomery-Toombs
County region would peak
on August 27.
COVID financial relief
continues to pour down
from the state and fed
eral governments, as the
Council also authorized
the acceptance of $13,000
from the Coronavirus Re
sponse and Relief Supple
mental Appropriations Act
(CRRSA), which is sent
from the Georgia Depart
ment of Transportation.
This money is reimburse
ment for operational ex
penses that happened on
or after January 20, 2020.
Toombs Commission
Action
The spread of CO
VID was taken up by the
Toombs County Com
mission in a recent session
as Commissioners brain
stormed a way to promote
public safety regarding this
illness. All members of the
Commission have been
vaccinated and advocate
vaccinations as the best
possible precautionary
measure for the public.
“I have taken both of
my vaccine shots, and even
plan on taking a booster,”
Commissioner Darriel
continued from page 1A
dents will also be voting
on a liquor referendum on
November 2.
City of Vidalia Election
Vidalia Mayor Doug
Roper qualified to seek
reelection and he is facing
opposition from former
Ward 2 Councilman Greg
ory Johnson.
Roper, a branch man
ager for Vidalia Federal
Savings Bank, defeated
Gregory Johnson on No
vember 3, 2020, to fill the
unexpired term of Ronnie
Dixon, who passed away
in April 1, 2020. Roper
resigned his Ward 1 seat
on the Vidalia City School
Board to run for mayor.
Andy Blount was appoint
ed to fill Roper’s unexpired
term on the School Board.
Johnson, a local busi
ness owner, stepped down
from his City Council seat
to seek the mayor’s post
and a special election was
held on March 16, 2021, to
fill his unexpired term. Jen
nifer Evans, Transportation
Manager for Operations at
DOT Foods, defeated local
businesswoman Carmela
Spikes-Williams to win this
race. Evans has qualified to
seek reelection and is un
opposed.
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Nobles said. “I encourage
everyone to do the same
to protect themselves and
others.”
The Schools
The Montgomery
County Board of Educa
tion addressed COVID in
its monthly meeting on
August 16, as the spread
of the virus continued to
complicate normal school
practices and require spe
cial provisions. Interim Su
perintendent Mark David
son shared with the BOE
and the public that mask
wearing among students
was at a very low percent
age. “Around 10 to 12% at
most wear their masks dai
ly,” he said.
Many normal school
activities, such as field trips,
are now in question as Da
vidson and board mem
bers worry students may
become infected outside
of the classroom. Davidson
and the Board continue
to discuss and ponder the
possibility of postponing
these events to ensure stu
dent safety.
Another difficulty
the school was facing was
rebellion and concern re
garding the mask mandate
on school buses. “Bus driv
ers have reported students
repeatedly refusing to keep
their masks on while riding
the school bus,” Davidson
explained, adding, “Parents
complain that it is because
the buses that do not have
air conditioning are too
hot to have passengers’ air
ways covered. I understand
the concern, but it is a
state-mandated precaution
currently, and we cannot
change that.”
Because of this issue,
the BOE adopted a policy
that states if students do
not comply with the mask
mandate while traveling on
the bus, “their privilege to
ride shall be revoked.”
Other policies adopt
ed by the BOE because of
COVID include a 10-day
leave for teachers who test
positive for COVID or are
required to quarantine.
This policy is to ensure that
teachers are not forced to
spend their sick days on
quarantines that they can
not prevent. Funding from
the CARES Act will pro
Sonja Eason
Local businessman
Cecil Thompson, who has
held his Ward 1 seat since
2002, also qualified to seek
reelection. He is unop
posed.
Vidalia City School
Board posts up for election
include the Ward 2 school
board seat held by Tim
Truxel, Board Chair, and
the Ward 4 post held by
Hal Chesser. Both Truxel
and Chesser qualified to
seek reelection and are un
opposed.
The Board of Educa
tion consists of five board
members who are elected
to four-year terms of office
and represent constituents
in the four city wards with
one member at-large.
City of Lyons Election
In Lyons, four people
qualified to seek three
posts on the Lyons City
Council. The candidates
in the Ward 1 and 4 Coun-
vide the pay for substitute
teachers in the absence of
teachers who are on leave.
“We are also in des
perate need of substitutes
for our middle and high
school,” Davidson told the
BOE and public. “If you
are interested in working as
a substitute, please do not
hesitate to apply.”
Montgomery
County Schools currently
have three staff members
who tested positive for
COVID, and no staff mem
bers in quarantine; these
staff members only make
up 2% of the staff popu
lation. Around the same
percentage of students
have tested positive for the
virus; 21 of the school sys
tem’s total 974 students are
COVID positive. Yet, there
are many more students in
quarantine, as 113 students
are quarantined because
of school-related expo
sure and 34 remain home
for nonschool related ex
posure, totaling 147 total
quarantined students.
On August 20, Vi
dalia City Schools report
ed 38 (1.5%) of its 2,504
students were COVID
positive and 10 (2.9%) of
its 338 employees were
COVID positive. Toombs
County School System re
ported on August 20 that
36 (1.2%) of its 2,971 stu
dents were COVID posi
tive and 11 (2.7%) of its
406 employees were CO
VID positive.
In Wheeler County,
where masks are manda
tory for students and staff,
in the latest COVID up
date posted on the website
on August 20, a cumulative
total of 83 students (9.3%)
and three staff members
(1.9%) have been quaran
tined. On August 20, 14
students had positive CO
VID status and one staff
member had positive CO
VID status.
At Vidalia Heritage
Academy on August 23,
three students were COV
ID positive and no employ
ees were positive. One staff
member was quarantined
on Monday but returned to
work on Tuesday.
Robert Toombs Chris
tian Academy did not re
spond to requests for infor
mation.
Cathy Benton
cil seats are unopposed,
while the incumbent in the
Council 2 chair, Sonja Ea
son, is facing a former op
ponent from a 2020 race
in which the voting margin
was razor-thin.
Tracy Johnson quali
fied for the Ward 1 Coun
cil post in Lyons currently
held by Larry Griggers,
while incumbent John E.
Moore, Jr., qualified for
Ward 4. Eason qualified to
run for the Ward 2 seat and
will be facing Cathy Ben
ton, who also qualified last
week.
Eason narrowly de
feated Benton in a June 9,
2020 bid for the Council
seat with 101 votes to Ben
ton’s 99 votes. A recount of
the vote confirmed Eason’s
win and she took her place
on the Council as the first
female Lyons City Coun-
Please see Elections
page 4A