COVID Rises in Tift

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

TIFT SEES WORST SURGE EVER IN COVID-19 CASES

TIFT COUNTY REPORTS 306 NEW CASES IN 2 WEEKS

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Tift County’s worst coronavirus surge is continuing with 306 new cases during the past two weeks and 163 new cases in the past seven days alone, according to state health data.

As of Monday, Tift reached an all-time high of 80.3 average COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population, according to Emory University. The state's daily average is 46, and the U.S. daily average is 62 per 100,000, Emory reported.

The White House Coronavirus Task Force's latest report this week places Tifton and Tift County solidly in the Red Zone for cases and test positivity. In the past 14 days, 17.9 percent of those tested in Tift County received positive results, said the Ga. Department of Public Health.

Also in the past two weeks, Tift's cases number 749 per 100,000 population, the DPH said. During the same period, Georgia had 408 cases per 100,000.

"We have seen a spike in hospitalizations during the past couple of weeks," Chris Efaw, Southwell medical's vice president of outreach and development, told the Tifton Grapevine on Tuesday. Tift Regional Medical Center is Southwell's flagship hospital.

"We were at a steady average of about 20 COVID-19 in-patients per day for the past few months. We currently have 36 COVID-19 in-patients," Efaw said.

"We are not on diversion right now," which means that patients are not being diverted to other hospitals.

"At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, we relocated our Pediatrics Unit and Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) to create a designated Respiratory Care Unit (RCU) for COVID-19 patients. This has helped us manage the capacity," Efaw said.

"We continue to encourage local residents to wear a mask, avoid large gatherings, observe social distancing, and wash hands frequently."

That is the same advice contained in the White House Coronavirus Task Force report dated Sunday. The Task Force said the country’s worst coronavirus surge is threatening hospitals’ ability to treat patients, but Americans and states aren’t acting like it.

“Despite the severity of this surge and the threat to hospital systems, many state and local governments are not implementing the same mitigation policies that stemmed the tide of the summer surge,” the Task Force wrote.

“Mitigation efforts must increase … including masking, physical distancing, hand hygiene, no indoor gatherings outside of immediate households, and aggressive testing.”

The White House reports are shared with governors but not with the public. The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit investigative news organization based in Washington, D.C., is obtaining the coronavirus reports and making them available to other news media.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Tift County has had 2,486 reported COVID-19 cases and 68 related deaths. Georgia has had 452,369 cases and 9,027 deaths. The state reported 3,709 new cases in the 24 hours between Monday and Tuesday, with 20 additional deaths and 191 new hospitalizations.

AMERICAN TEXTILE PLANS EXPANSION

AT TIFTON PLANT

American Textile Co. is planning a 105,000-square-foot expansion to its manufacturing and distribution center in Tift County, the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday.

American Textile manufactures and distributes bedding products to a variety of retailers.

“Anyone who sells bedding is our customer,” said Patrick Seiffert, the company's senior vice president of marketing. “Consistent, strong growth over the last decade is driving growth in the Tifton manufacturing and distribution facility.”

This is American textile's third significant investment in Tift County during the past six years, Seiffert said.

Construction on the project, which the Tift County Development Authority (TCDA) has approved, is expected to begin soon, said Keith Brown, senior vice president of operations.

The addition will bring American Textile's total square footage in Tift County to more than 500,000, Brown said. Construction is expected to be completed in July, and the expansion is slated by be fully operational by August.

Seiffert said the expansion will lead to additional jobs as the company looks to grow its line of pillows.

“Working with the TCDA and the local government is very attractive,” he said. “They make doing business easy, and Tifton is a great place to grow our company.”

Brian Marlowe, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and TCDA, said, “We value their commitment to our community over the last 10 years and are grateful for their partnership.”

American Textile currently employs more than 400 in Tifton, including temporary workers. The company has grown significantly from its initial 30-person team.

ADEL GRAD GETS TOP ABAC AWARD AT COMMENCEMENT

Jaylee Bass, a writing and communication major from Adel, received the Alumni Association award as the top bachelor’s degree graduate in the fall commencement ceremony Thursday at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

To adhere to social distancing guidelines, ABAC hosted three commencement ceremonies, two in Tifton and one in Bainbridge.

President David Bridges said Bass “embodies the core values of the award and has devoted countless hours in service to the college through scholarship, leadership, and citizenship.

“Our winner has achieved high academic honors and has been named to the ABAC Dean’s List twice and the ABAC President’s List three times,” Bridges said. “This student has excelled in all academic disciplines and maintained one of the highest GPAs in the graduating class.”

Bass represented the college as an ABAC Ambassador throughout her academic career. She was a member of the Law Club and the Honors Program and had received Distinguished Honor Student status for three consecutive years.

Employed part-time by the Tift Judicial Circuit Public Defender’s Office, Bass was also a contributing writer for the Adel News-Tribune, volunteered at G.O. Bailey Elementary School and at the Tiftarea YMCA.

A member of the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers, Bass is headed to law school.

TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

RIBBON CUTTING

Allure Nails & Spa

192 S. Virginia Ave., Tifton

Dec. 2

PROVIDENCE SCHOOL GETS ACCREDITATION

Within three months of opening, Providence School of Tifton, a private school, has received accreditation for K3 (junior kindergarten age 3) through eighth grades from the Georgia Accrediting Commission.

“We are elated to receive such an outstanding accreditation,” said Victoria Harris, head of school at Providence. “Our students work hard and are typically a year or more ahead of their peers in academics. The fact that this was noticed in such a short amount of time is incredibly humbling.”

Providence is a classical Christian school whose purpose is to "train the soul to love that which is worth loving." The aim is to "cultivate wisdom and virtue by nourishing the soul on truth, goodness, and beauty according to God’s revelation of Himself in the scriptures."

Harris said that “we are training a new generation of scholars who love the Lord and are able to winsomely and graciously war for truth in their families, vocations, and community.”

Re-enrollment will be open for current students and their families Jan. 2-9. Enrollment for students entering K3 through eighth grade will be open to Tift and surrounding counties on Jan. 16.

For information, visit www.providencetift.org or call 229-445-8180.

STATE GRANT AIDS ABAC IN EDUCATING YOUNG, INEXPERIENCED DRIVERS

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College's Advancement Foundation has been awarded an $11,095 grant from the Georgia Young Adult Program, funded through the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.

The grant will be used to promote education and awareness for young, inexperienced drivers, aged 16-24, about highway safety issues such as underage drinking and impaired driving.

This is the 18th year of the Young Adult Program at ABAC. Projects involve collaborations with the campus Greek community, student athletes, police, health and wellness departments, and counseling services.

Activities will include a DUI simulator, ThinkFast alcohol awareness training, and a Drunk Busters activity that simulates different levels of alcohol impairment using patented vision technology.

In 2019, the program reached 2,800 students. Residents of the Tifton area between the ages of 16 and 24 may participate.

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

This cat is among several at the Tift County Animal Shelter looking for a new home. To adopt, visit the Animal Shelter from 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).

Pets of the Week are sponsored by:

Branch's Veterinary Clinic

205 Belmont Ave., Tifton, 229-382-6055

CORNERSTONE LAID FOR TIFT COUNTY COURTHOUSE DURING CEREMONY

– DEC. 10, 1912

The cornerstone for the Tift County Courthouse was laid at noon on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 1912, with local speeches and a ceremony conducted by Tifton Lodge F. & A.M.