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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