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The ADVANCE, October 6, 2021/Page 19A
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Ms. Magnolia k
Letters have been edited for length and clarity.
Dear Readers,
Words of encouragement are of
ten welcome in tough times. These
words have been my companions
through many uncertain but wonder
ful years, and I would like to share
them with you.
Desiderata
GO PLACIDLY amid the noise
and the haste, and remember what
peace there may be in silence. As far
as possible, without surrender, be on
good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and
clearly; and listen to others, even to
the dull and the ignorant; they too
have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive per
sons; they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter, for al
ways there will be greater and lesser
persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well
as your plans. Keep interested in
your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing
fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business
affairs, for the world is full of trick
ery. But let this not blind you to what
virtue there is; many persons strive
for high ideals, and everywhere life is
full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not
feign affection. Neither be cynical
about love; for in the face of all arid
ity and disenchantment, it is as pe
rennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the
years, gracefully surrendering the
things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to
shield you in sudden misfortune. But
do not distress yourself with dark
imaginings. Many fears are born of
fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself. You are a
child of the universe no less than the
trees and the stars; you have a right
to be here.
And whether or not it is clear
to you, no doubt the universe is un
folding as it should. Therefore, be at
peace with God, whatever you con
ceive Him to be. And whatever your
labors and aspirations, in the noisy
confusion of life, keep peace in your
soul. With all its sham, drudgery and
broken dreams, it is still a beautiful
world. Be cheerful. Strive to be hap
py-
By Max Ehrmann ©1927
If you have a question for Ms. Magnolia, please mail it to P.O. Box 669, Vidalia, GA
30475, or e-mail to msmagnoliaadvance@yahoo.com.
Georgia remains No. 1
state for doing business
Despite rationing, monoclonal
antibody treatments remain
plentiful in Georgia
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
Georgia is still on the
minds of companies look
ing for a place to set up
shop.
The Peach State has
been designated the “top
state for doing business”
for the eighth year in a row
by Area Development, the
nation’s leading corporate
site selection magazine,
Gov. Brian Kemp said Fri
day.
Kemp made the an
nouncement in Columbia
County at the grand open
ing of Amazon’s newest ro
botics facility in Georgia.
“Thanks to our nation
leading workforce devel
opment efforts, resilient
job creators, and strong
pro-business environment,
Georgia is emerging from
the global pandemic with
unprecedented economic
momentum,” he said. “My
administration will remain
focused on building on this
solid foundation and con
tinuing to bring more jobs
and opportunity to hard
working Georgians across
the state."
The executive publi
cation’s annual poll of ap
proximately 50 leading
site consulting firms from
across the country consid
ers 13 factors in choos
ing the top state for doing
business. In addition to the
top state award, Georgia
earned a No. 1 ranking in
five categories: overall cost
of doing business, coop
erative and responsive state
government, competitive
labor environment, work
force development pro
grams, and available real
estate.
“Over the last eight
years, each award of the
No. 1 state for business title
from Area Development
has been special,” said Pat
Wilson, commissioner of
the Georgia Department
of Economic Develop
ment. “But this year, in the
face of a global pandemic
and all the challenges as
sociated with COVID-19
worldwide, it is especially
gratifying to continue to
be recognized for our part
nership with the business
community.”
Georgia set new eco
nomic development re
cords during the last fiscal
year in spite of the pan
demic. Nearly $11 billion
in new investments during
fiscal 2021, which ended
June 30, represented a 46%
increase over fiscal 2020,
while 33,439 jobs created
across the state beat the
previous record by 5%.
This story is available
through a news partnership
with Capitol Beat News
Service, a project of the
Georgia Press Educational
Foundation.
By Tim Darnell
Staff Writer
Capitol Beat News Service
Despite the federal
government’s recent ra
tioning of the monoclonal
treatment supplies each
state is receiving, Georgia
seems to be in no immi
nent danger of the treat
ments running out.
“About a month ago,
the federal government
completely changed the
distribution process for
these treatments,” Gov.
Brian Kemp said Thursday.
“Now, the states get weekly
allocations and have to de
termine where those treat
ment doses are sent, based
on utilization and report
ing. ... In short, we’re being
capped on our allocations.”
Kemp said several
weeks ago the state had
received more than 10,000
doses of the treatment.
“Last week, we were
allocated 8,200 doses, and
our current allocation is
7,890, and we’ll continue
to distribute those treat
ments to anyone who tests
positive,” he said. “Howev
er, those treatments are still
secondary to vaccinations.”
Monoclonal antibod
ies are synthetic, laborato
ry-created antibodies. They
help people at high risk for
severe COVID illness, in
dividuals who have tested
positive within 10 days for
the virus, or people who
are in close contact with
those who have tested posi
tive for COVID-19.
According to the U.S.
Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS),
the decision to change the
distribution process is be
cause of supply shortages
and rising demand for the
treatments across the U.S.,
especially with the spread
of COVID- 19’s delta vari
ant.
HHS is now determin
ing each state’s weekly al
location of monoclonal an
tibody products based on
use and the number of new
COVID cases. The Geor
gia Department of Public
Health (DPH) will identify
which sites in the state will
receive the product and the
amount each site receives.
Health-care providers
are now required to record
their administration of the
products in order to receive
future shipments.
DPH Commissioner
Dr. Kathleen Toomey said
supply and demand for the
treatments are trending
downward, as are the num
ber of overall coronavirus
cases.
“We have plenty now,
and there are no reports
of shortages that I’m aware
of,” Toomey said Thursday.
There are currently
136 locations in Georgia
where monoclonal anti
body treatments are being
administered.
Phoebe Putney Health
System is one of those pro
viders, located in southwest
Georgia. Jane Gray, senior
vice president, confirmed
shipments have been re
duced as demand has gone
down.
“We have substantial
inventory at the moment,
and we’re putting signage
out at our testing sites re
garding the treatments,”
Gray said. “We are big be
lievers in its effectiveness,
but vaccines remain the
best option.
“Until the treatments
became available, we had
no real options for outpa
tient treatment. Since these
antibody treatments have
become available, we’ve
had many reports of people
who were feeling better in
as little as one day after re
ceiving them.”
Gray said the treat
ments can be used on any
one who has tested COV
ID positive within 10 days,
regardless of the patient’s
vaccination status.
“Outside of that 10-day
window, you’re no longer
eligible for the monoclonal
treatments,” she said.
As treatment supplies
remain plentiful in Geor
gia, the state doesn’t seem
inclined to follow Florida
and Texas in their efforts
to obtain their own mono
clonal antibody supplies or
block federal intrusion into
how they’re distributed.
Texas Gov. Greg Ab
bott said his state has
bypassed the Biden ad
ministration's limits on
monoclonal antibodies by
obtaining its own supply.
On Friday, his office also
announced it has opened
another antibody infusion
center, the latest among 23
the state has opened in re
cent months.
Abbott’s office said it
is working with the Texas
Department of Emergency
Management and its De
partment of State Health
Services to expand anti
body infusion centers
These state-sponsored
infusion centers are in
addition to the infusion
treatment centers provid
ed by more than 200 pri
vate health-care providers
across the state.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen.
Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and
six Senate Republican col
leagues are sponsoring the
Treatment Restoration
for Emergency Antibody
Therapeutics Act. The bill
would prohibit HHS from
implementing policies
restricting hospitals and
other health- care facilities
from ordering and receiv
ing the treatments directly
from manufacturers and
distributors.
Rubio has been out
spoken over HHS Sec
retary Xavier Becerra’s
decision to ration the treat
ments.
“This decision was
made without providing
the Florida Department of
Health or health-care pro
viders any time to prepare
for this dramatic shift ...
leaving Florida providers
scrambling for information
and a path forward for pre
viously scheduled appoint
ments of this life-saving
therapy,” Rubio said.
White House press
secretary Jen Psaki said
Thursday that seven states
make up roughly 70% of
the requests for monoclo
nal antibody treatments.
This story is available
through a news partnership
with Capitol Beat News
Service, a project of the
Georgia Press Educational
Foundation.
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