GA National Guard To Deploy To Nursing Homes: Coronavirus

ATLANTA, GA — The Georgia National Guard will be deployed over the next few weeks to help at both nursing homes and assisted living facilities with cases of the coronavirus. Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia National Guard Adjutant General Tom Carden will deploy 100 Georgia Guard members, reports WSB.

Troops will be sent to set locations with orders to implement infection control protocols and enhanced sanitation methods.

“Georgia’s top priority is increasing health-care capacity to protect vulnerable Georgians, especially those residing in long-term care facilities,” Kemp said in a statement. “If we can keep these populations as healthy as possible, we will be able to conserve precious medical supplies and hospital bed space in the coming days and weeks.”

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Pelham Parkway Nursing Home in Mitchell County will receive 20 soldiers. They left Tuesday to audit existing sanitation methods, train staff on using more aggressive infectious disease control measures, and thoroughly clean the facility.

Pelham Parkway has already reported five confirmed cases of the coronavirus, according to the Georgia Sun.

In Albany, Phoebe-Putney Memorial Hospital said that 44 National Guard members were sent there.

“We’ve received multiple shipments of emergency supplies and are grateful for the incredible support of Gov. Kemp and the Georgia Department of Public Health during this public health crisis,” the hospital wrote on Twitter.

“The Georgia National Guard stands ready to assist any long-term care facility in this time of need through staff training and implementation of infectious disease control measures,” Carden said. “Our training has prepared us to fight this virus, and we are eager to lend a hand in this battle.”

Globally, more than 803,000 people have been infected and more than 39,000 people have died from the new coronavirus, Johns Hopkins reported Tuesday. Of that total, more than 164,000 confirmed cases were in the United States. There have been 3,170 U.S. deaths tied to the virus outbreak.

The number of coronavirus deaths and confirmed cases in Georgia spiked over the past 24 hours. The updated tally, released at noon on Tuesday, reflects an increase of more than 1,000 cases from noon on Monday, and 21 additional deaths, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. Numbers released Tuesday at noon show 108 deaths, 818 hospitalized and 3,817 confirmed cases in Georgia.

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