'Help keep COVID-19 cases from spiking': Middle Georgia health care systems

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) -- Three Middle Georgia health care systems are asking for your help in keeping COVID-19 cases from spiking.

Sargent will be live later in the show ... from greyhound field in jones county ... for our game of the week... on the end zone.

Our top story tonight at 6... three middle georgia health care systems are asking.... for your help... in keeping covid-19 cases from spiking.

They say cases in georgia have increased ... to their highest numbers... since the pandemic started.

And they don't want the problem to get worse.

41nbc's jatrissa wooten has more... on how covid-19 is affecting hospitals... here in middle georgia.

According to navicent health ceo, tom oliver, there has been a rise in the number of covid patients at atrium health navicent.

Oliver says, the medical center currently has 46 covid patients.

But he says those numbers do not compare to the amount of cases the center had in july and august, or compared to the total amount of patients.

Sot: tom oliver ceo navicent health "less than 10% of our total census" coliseum medical center ceo, steve daugherty, says coliseum has 43 covid patients -- 5 of them are in the i-c-u.

And according to houston healthcare's charles briscoe, they have 45 covid patients -- 13 in critical care.

Briscoe says the increase in covid cases is due to families gathering for the holidays.

"just really think and work with your families to think about the way you will celebrate the holidays this year" medical experts say have alternate plans for the holidays and consider technology to minimize gatherings.

The good news: relief is coming.

According to daugherty all three health care systems are registered with the state to receive the covid-19 vaccine.

He says expect early-use authorization for the pfizer vaccine, which will take about a week to be released.

Oliver says he feels the vaccine will stretch through the first quarter of 20-21 and into the summer.

"in trials both the pfizer vaccine and the moderma vaccine have shown very high applicacy about 95 %" people who are considered a high risk will receive the vaccine first, that includes essential