MACON, Ga. — Hours before Governor Brian Kemp announced he was loosening restrictions on some businesses across the state, Navicent Health's Chief Medical Officer said Macon might still be weeks away from its COVID-19 peak.
"We expect our surge to be sometime now in mid-May," said Dr. Patrice Walker.
The Chief Medical Officer went on to stress the importance of social distancing.
"That's what's helping flatten the curve in this district," she said.
Walker made those comments Monday morning at a Bibb County Board of Health meeting. Hours later, Governor Brian Kemp announced a long list of businesses statewide would be allowed to reopen in the coming days provided they adhere to new safety guidelines.
The list includes indoor seating at restaurants, bowling alleys, gyms, salons, barber shops, and nail salons.
Kemp said Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) data suggests new COVID-19 cases have leveled off.
"Documented COVID-19 cases have flattened and appear to be declining," he said.
So why the discrepancy between Dr. Walker's comments and the governor's?
We asked Navicent Health who took our questions to Dr. John Wood, Medical Center Navicent Health's Medical Director of the Emergency Center.
He said the difference comes down to perspective.
Governor Kemp is focused on the state as a whole while Navicent doctors are looking closer to home.
"He's making decisions on a statewide basis," said Wood. "Dr. Walker and I and administration here at Navicent Health, we're doing the best that we can with local models to try to figure out what we need to do for our local community."
He also noted that models change frequently and their predictions are just estimates.
When asked if loosening the restrictions would lead to more cases in Bibb County, Dr. Wood said he didn't know.
"Me or you, either one, we could guess on that and there'd be no way to know, right? So when you, when you look at situations like this, you can't definitely say one thing caused the other," said Wood.
He stressed that Navicent has capacity to treat more cases if they appear.
When we asked specifically how many ICU beds are full and how many are available, he said he didn't know because he doesn't work in the ICU.
Dr. Wood is the medical director of the emergency center at the hospital.
We also asked Governor Kemp's office the following questions:
- What is the Governor’s response to Dr. Walker’s comments saying social distancing needs to be continued?
- Why is there such a difference in the DPH data the Governor referred to and the local data Dr. Walker referred to when it comes to the peak of COVID-19 cases?
- Has Georgia experienced a downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period or a downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period? If so, which one have we experienced? As I’m sure you know, those are the criteria from President Trump’s coronavirus task force to satisfy “before proceeding to phased comeback."
Below is the full response we got from Governor Kemp's communications director, Candice Broce.
"Please review the Governor’s speech. As the Governor has previously stated, there are numerous models and they vary.
We are consulting numerous models, data, and public health officials to inform our decision-making. Dr. Kathleen Toomey is an excellent resource for the Governor during this time. Her credentials are impressive, and she is nationally renowned for her work.
No further comment from us."
FACTS NOT FEAR | At 13WMAZ, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the coronavirus. To see our full coverage, visit our site section here: www.13wmaz.com/Coronavirus.
STAY UPDATED | Click here to subscribe to our Midday Minute newsletter and receive the latest headlines and information in your inbox every day.
Have a news tip? Email news@13wmaz.com, or visit our Facebook page.