Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A
The Braselton News
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
“Im amazed at how quickly our
team has worked through detailed
logistics to make this possible - just
like they have with so many other
challenges during the pandemic.”
Vaccinations are being stored at
Northeast Georgia Medical Center
Gainesville in specially-ordered
freezers that will maintain the prop
er storage temperatures.
PRIORITIZED BY
RISK OF INFECTION
A vaccination planning com
mittee — representing a range of
departments within the hospital
system — was formed to prioritize
which groups of employees would
get vaccinated first. The committee
created a phased-in approach based
on risk.
“Our top priority groups for re
ceiving the vaccine are our frontline
healthcare workers, long term care
patients and staff in other high-risk
groups,” NGHS leaders said.
NGHS employees are not re
quired to take the vaccination,
but those with patient-contact are
strongly encouraged to do so.
NOT A ‘MAGIC BULLET’
Safety precautions will remain
in place across the hospital system.
Hospital leaders noted that those
who receive the vaccine won't be
immediately protected, adding that
protection will occur around two
weeks after the second shot.
And it may still be possible for
vaccinated people to transmit the
virus to those who haven’t been
vaccinated.
“Even though a staff member may
have received their vaccine, most of
the people around them have not,”
hospital leaders said. “We know
the vaccine prevents disease in the
vaccinated person, but it still may
be possible to transmit the disease
Vaccine continued from 1A
to others. Wearing a mask, social
distancing and practicing hand hy
giene protects those who have not
been vaccinated.”
Dr. Mannepalli stressed the com
munity should still continue prac
ticing health and safety measures
for some time.
“It’s important to remember that
vaccination isn’t a magic bullet that
will end the pandemic immediate
ly.” says Dr. Mannepalli. “People
need to continue following the 3Ws
- wear a mask, wash your hands,
watch your distance - even after
getting the vaccine, at least until
herd immunity is achieved.”
NUMBERS REMAIN
HIGH AT NGHS
As of Dec. 21, the hospital system
was treating 272 positive COVID
patients with 54 at NGMC Bra
selton.
NGHS currently has 694 occupied
beds with 47 available. At NGMC
Braselton. there are 166 occupied
beds with 12 available (23 occupied
in ICU with four available).
NGHS reports 512 deaths since
the beginning of the pandemic.
In Braselton's four-county area,
there have been:
•Barrow: 4,210 cases; 63 deaths;
700 new cases in the last two weeks
(810 per 100,000 residents)
•Gwinnett: 45,864 cases: 539
confirmed deaths; 37 probable
deaths; 6,404 new cases in the last
two weeks (659 per 100,000 resi
dents)
•Hall: 15,763 cases; 206 con
firmed deaths; nine probable deaths;
2,227 new cases in the past two
weeks (1,079 per 100,000 residents)
•Jackson: 4,423 cases; 57 con
firmed deaths; 10 probable deaths;
882 new cases in the past two weeks
(1.181 per 100,000 residents)
Northeast Georgia Health System administered its first COVID-19 vaccinations on Thurs
day, Dec. 17. The health system received its first shipment of the Pfizer vaccination on
Thursday morning. The first seven employees vaccinated were: Elizabeth Larkins, MSN,
RN - Director of Critical Care at NGMC Gainesville; Terry Phillips - Environmental Ser
vices Technician at NGMC Gainesville; Rachel Brunner, RN - Critical Care Nurse at NGMC
Gainesville and Braselton; Tamika Johnson, RN - Charge Nurse in the Mobile Medical
Unit at NGMC Gainesville; April McDonald, MD - Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine
Physician with Northeast Georgia Physicians Group, practicing at NGMC Gainesville and
Braselton; Seth Scott, RN - Nurse in the Emergency Department at NGMC Gainesville; and
Andy Cason, RRT - Respiratory Therapist at NGMC Gainesville.
Rami Arfoosh, MD receives his
Pranav Jain, MD, receives his COVID-19 vaccine COVID-19 vaccine at Northeast
at Northeast Georgia Medical Center Braselton on Georgia Medical Center Braselton.
Dec. 18.
Budget continued from 1A
have to pay for it and that
usually comes from prop
erty taxes,” Mayor Shannon
Sell said in September. No
property tax is included in
the 2021 budget.
• City officials have bud
geted $350,000 for a new
building called an “infill
city square development
project.” That is a multi-use
facility and could contain a
new city hall, an idea which
was discussed briefly at a
recent council meeting.
• The city expects to gen
erate $868,800 in impact
fees in 2021, an amount that
is in addition to its gener
al fund. Those dollars are
slated to be used for build
ing facilities, specifically
for recreation, fire and po
lice. The impact fees would
come from an assessment
placed on new homes and
businesses in the town,
mostly from the massive
Twin Lakes development.
But developers of that proj
ect, Kolter, has sued the city
over how impact fees were
created and aimed at their
project. The move would
add $2,500 to $3,000 to the
cost of a home in the de
velopment.
• The city is outsourcing
its planning and zoning to
a consultant, a move that
cut the city P&Z budget
from $629,700 to $91,300.
In addition, the city is set
ting up a separate build
ings inspection depart
ment at a cost of $130,600.
• The city’s largest sin
gle source of general fund
revenue is projected to
come from building per
mits at $716,000, followed
by local option sales taxes
at $352,800 and planning
and development fees at
$250,000.
• The city's largest fi
nancial area is its water
and sewerage systems
which together are expect
ed to generate $5.6 mil
lion in revenues in 2021.
Those areas also have a
lot of expenses slated for
2021, including a number
of capital projects, includ
ing two new water tanks
and an expansion of its
wastewater treatment fa
cilities.
Hoschton continued from 1A
spoke in opposition to the
budget and city officials
didn’t discuss any details
during the meeting. Among
the items in the budget are
funds to start up a town po
lice department, likely in
the third quarter of 2021.
• changing the monthly
council meetings for 2021
to one meeting per month
to be held on the third Mon
day at 5:30 p.m. The town's
planning commission will
now meet on the fourth
Monday at 7 p.m.
• a rezoning for Eddie
Butler at 126 New St. to
divide the property for two
single-family homes.
• variances on three tracts
of land so that the city can
build two new water tanks
in town.
• a resolution for a storm
water facility maintenance
agreement.
• an updated ordinance
stormwater ordinance for
post-construction.
COUNCIL PAY
Although the council took
no action on the matter,
Mayor Shannon Sell again
discussed his idea to hike
the pay of the council and
mayor. Sell had earlier said
he wants the pay to go from
$25 per meeting (with a cap
of $75 per month) to $500
per month for council mem
bers and $1,000 per month
for the mayor.
Sell said Dec. 21 that the
reason for the pay hike,
which wouldn't take effect
until 2022, is to encourage
people to run for office and
that serving on the council
shouldn’t be a financial bur
den to people.
“In the future when I’m
no longer mayor, I want
a qualified person on this
council and mayor,” he
said. “I want somebody
that’s smart, that's willing
to work and that's not up
here wasting time. I want
an educated person that's
got the best interest of the
city at heart and also that
knows what they’re doing.”
Sell said he also wants to
expand the council to six
members from the current
four. He said the total cost
to the city for a better-paid
council would only be a to
tal of $48,000 per year, an
amount he said was worth
it.
Joesph Hayes (L) was sworn-in Dec. 21 as Hoschton’s code enforcement of
ficer.
Northeast Health District begins
administering COVID vaccination
The Northeast Health
District began providing
COVID-19 vaccines to
healthcare workers by ap
pointment on Friday, De
cember 18. Vaccinations
are being administered at
the Clarke County Health
Department.
Due to limited availabil
ity of vaccine, the CDC’s
Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices
(ACIP) has recommended
that certain priority pop
ulation groups receive the
vaccine first. This tiered
method of vaccine dis
tribution will prioritize
the most vulnerable pop
ulations along with key
parts of the workforce,
the health district said in a
news release. The North
east Health District will
be distributing COVID-19
vaccines to Tier 1A. which
includes people serving in
healthcare settings and res
idents of nursing homes.
“We have all been wait
ing for this moment, and
we look forward to being
able to provide protec
tion to all of our commu
nity members as soon as
enough vaccine becomes
available. But for right
now. it is critical that we
use the limited supply
to protect our healthcare
workers and those most
at risk from infection,”
explained Dr. Stephen
Goggans. District Health
Director. “This is a tremen
dous step forward in the
fight against COVID-19.”
Healthcare workers
whose employers are not
providing COVID-19
vaccines may make an
appointment to get a
COVID-19 vaccination
through a Northeast Health
District clinic by calling
706-340-0996.
Members of other pri
ority groups may visit
PublicHealthAthens.com
to complete a pre-registra
tion form. Members of the
priority groups who are
eligible to receive the vac
cine will be contacted to
complete the registration
process and will be noti
fied when an appointment
is available.
For more information
about how groups are
prioritized for vaccine
eligibility, visit: https://
www.cdc.gov/coronavi-
rus/2019-ncov/vaccines/
recommendations-process.
html
For local COVID-19
vaccination information,
visit: https://publichealtha-
thens.com/wp/programs/
infectious-disease/corona-
virus-covid-19-informa-
tion/covid-19-vaccination/
Traditions among top 25 subdivisions by absorption rate
Traditions of Braselton
was recently named in the
top 25 subdivisions in At
lanta by absorption rate.
The designation is based
on Metrostudy's 3Q20 At
lanta Residential Survey.
In addition to making
the top 25 list for annu
al closings versus annual
starts, this ranking also
places Traditions of Bra
selton second in Jackson
County behind The Sea
sons at Pendergrass. Tra
ditions placed in the top
spot for the number of ac
tive builders among those
top 25 in Metrostudy's
3Q20 Atlanta Residential
Survey.
Evans
At This Time Of Year...
Thoughts turn to loved ones,
both past and present.
Of happy childhood memories.
Unwrapping toys, helping with
the baking and licking the bowl.
Remembering always
their kindness and love.
Sweet times gone by.
Funeral Home
1350 Winder Highway • Jefferson, GA 30549
(706)367-5467
Thanks for looking to us
in times of loss and sorrow.
/Plrny Cktislms.
Locally Owned And Operated By The Evans Family
J