South Georgia Medical Center has recently seen a dramatic drop in demand for COVID-19 testing and vaccination requests and is adjusting its operations accordingly.
Because of this decline and the availability of home tests, SGMC will no longer operate the Drive-Thru Testing Site. Patients with a physician-ordered test can still be tested at one of SGMC’s walk-in labs located at the Professional Building and Smith Northview Campus Monday thru Friday from 7am to 5pm. Nearly 200,000 tests have been performed by the system since the start of the pandemic. To order free at-home COVID-19 tests, visit covidtests.gov.
The health system has also seen a decline in the positivity rate, reporting 11.61 percent on Feb. 10, 2022, a low that hasn’t been seen since Dec. 20, 2021.
Additionally, SGMC will stop providing COVID-19 vaccines to the public on Feb. 21, 2022. This is also a result of the decline in demand, most likely due to the availability of vaccines at private physician offices and community pharmacies. Nearly 52,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered by SGMC’s team since it became available.
“The sheer volume of tests and vaccinations provided by our team is remarkable. We cannot thank them enough for their servant leadership during these difficult times,” said Randy Smith, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer at SGMC.
SGMC will continue to monitor the spread of COVID-19 and remains ready to make adjustments as needed. For the most current information regarding testing, vaccinations, and hospitalizations, visit sgmc.org.