Law enforcement officers at the George Floyd protests in Atlanta on Monday detained journalists working for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Washington Post, a move swiftly condemned by a coalition of Georgia journalism organizations.AJC staff photographer Alyssa Pointer, a key member of the news organization’s protest coverage team, was detained by officers of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Atlanta police arrested Haisten Willis, a former president of the Georgia Society of Professional Journalists who was working as a freelancer for The Washington Post. Both have...…Law enforcement officers at the George Floyd protests in Atlanta on Monday detained journalists working for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Washington Post, a move swiftly condemned by a coalition of Georgia journalism organizations.AJC staff photographer Alyssa Pointer, a key member of the news organization’s protest coverage team, was detained by officers of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Atlanta police arrested Haisten Willis, a former president of the Georgia Society of Professional Journalists who was working as a freelancer for The Washington Post. Both have...WW…

The state on Monday officially opened vaccine eligibility to a huge new slice of Georgians —those 65 and older — and launched a .But the Georgia Department of Public Health website led to busy phone numbers, wrong numbers and crashed web forms. And the deluge of people caught in the maze did not know where to turn.“At least update the recording or the website, let us know the number’s down, you’re working on it,” pleaded Jana McNerney of Dahlonega, who has lost friends to COVID-19 and tried five phone numbers for Lumpkin County’s health office in vain Monday. “Just you know, give us some...…The state on Monday officially opened vaccine eligibility to a huge new slice of Georgians —those 65 and older — and launched a .But the Georgia Department of Public Health website led to busy phone numbers, wrong numbers and crashed web forms. And the deluge of people caught in the maze did not know where to turn.“At least update the recording or the website, let us know the number’s down, you’re working on it,” pleaded Jana McNerney of Dahlonega, who has lost friends to COVID-19 and tried five phone numbers for Lumpkin County’s health office in vain Monday. “Just you know, give us some...WW…

Health officials saw the surge coming and sounded alarms, but the holiday get-togethers went on. Now, the scenes officials have dreaded the most since the start of the pandemic are playing out all over Georgia.Hospitals overflow with COVID-19 patients. Some nursing homes are erupting with new cases.Vaccinations are behind, and, for lack of staff, some health districts are limiting COVID testing to get the shots to health care workers and the elderly.Meanwhile, with deaths mounting, the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office has deployed a refrigerated morgue truck to store bodies. A second...…Health officials saw the surge coming and sounded alarms, but the holiday get-togethers went on. Now, the scenes officials have dreaded the most since the start of the pandemic are playing out all over Georgia.Hospitals overflow with COVID-19 patients. Some nursing homes are erupting with new cases.Vaccinations are behind, and, for lack of staff, some health districts are limiting COVID testing to get the shots to health care workers and the elderly.Meanwhile, with deaths mounting, the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office has deployed a refrigerated morgue truck to store bodies. A second...WW…

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) said Tuesday it has discovered the state’s first confirmed case of the U.K. COVID-19 strain, raising alarms among hospitals that the pandemic’s upward climb could become even worse.DPH said a Georgia resident, an 18-year-old man with no travel history, is isolating at his home. State officials also working to identify the teen’s close contacts. DPH said the agency will monitor any close contacts and test those individuals for the variant.The U.K. variant, also known as B.1.1.7, is believed to be much more contagious than the typical SARS-CoV-2...…The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) said Tuesday it has discovered the state’s first confirmed case of the U.K. COVID-19 strain, raising alarms among hospitals that the pandemic’s upward climb could become even worse.DPH said a Georgia resident, an 18-year-old man with no travel history, is isolating at his home. State officials also working to identify the teen’s close contacts. DPH said the agency will monitor any close contacts and test those individuals for the variant.The U.K. variant, also known as B.1.1.7, is believed to be much more contagious than the typical SARS-CoV-2...WW…

Tanner Health System, with 3,500 employees, is bursting with COVID-19 patients. For weeks it has been operating at full capacity, with some 55 patients needing admission Friday afternoon but waiting for beds. It has 61 COVID-19 patients being treated in units at its Carrollton, Villa Rica and Bremen hospitals.But the not-for-profit system so far has received no doses of to protect its staff. Maybe next week a shipment would come, Tanner Chief Operating Officer Greg Schulenburg said his contacts with the Georgia Department of Public Health have told the hospitals.Or it could be as late as...…Tanner Health System, with 3,500 employees, is bursting with COVID-19 patients. For weeks it has been operating at full capacity, with some 55 patients needing admission Friday afternoon but waiting for beds. It has 61 COVID-19 patients being treated in units at its Carrollton, Villa Rica and Bremen hospitals.But the not-for-profit system so far has received no doses of to protect its staff. Maybe next week a shipment would come, Tanner Chief Operating Officer Greg Schulenburg said his contacts with the Georgia Department of Public Health have told the hospitals.Or it could be as late as...WW…

Georgia is experiencing its third wave of the coronavirus, and the latest surge has surpassed the previous ones in both confirmed infections and hospitalizations.COVID-19 cases are , testing them in every way. Hospital officials say that they are already forced to decide which patients receive scarce resources. But those decisions could become more grave with projections showing that hospitalizations will continue to climb in the weeks ahead.State officials decided to reopen a field hospital at the Georgia World Congress Center.Meanwhile, doses of the coronavirus vaccines started to arrive...…Georgia is experiencing its third wave of the coronavirus, and the latest surge has surpassed the previous ones in both confirmed infections and hospitalizations.COVID-19 cases are , testing them in every way. Hospital officials say that they are already forced to decide which patients receive scarce resources. But those decisions could become more grave with projections showing that hospitalizations will continue to climb in the weeks ahead.State officials decided to reopen a field hospital at the Georgia World Congress Center.Meanwhile, doses of the coronavirus vaccines started to arrive...WW…

As Georgia braces for a cold-weather coronavirus surge that could collide with the flu and send patients flooding into hospitals, facilities across the state are worried they don’t have enough nurses to treat their sickest patients.Employment ads show hospitals from Albany to Savannah, Augusta to Rome, trying to hire nurses to meet the wave. Augusta University Health is seeking 250 nurses, partly to staff its new COVID-19 beds and an ICU it converted into a COVID-19 ICU. Elbert Memorial Hospital in northeast Georgia is now approaching the state government for nurses.One temporary health...…As Georgia braces for a cold-weather coronavirus surge that could collide with the flu and send patients flooding into hospitals, facilities across the state are worried they don’t have enough nurses to treat their sickest patients.Employment ads show hospitals from Albany to Savannah, Augusta to Rome, trying to hire nurses to meet the wave. Augusta University Health is seeking 250 nurses, partly to staff its new COVID-19 beds and an ICU it converted into a COVID-19 ICU. Elbert Memorial Hospital in northeast Georgia is now approaching the state government for nurses.One temporary health...WW…

The enrollment window has reopened for the Affordable Care Act exchange, and more than 100,000 Georgians may benefit.Why is this happening?Open enrollment for these plans, also known as Obamacare, usually happens in the fall. But as a result of the pandemic, with many people losing insurance coverage, President Joe Biden last month called for another enrollment period.The ACA allows the federal government to open special enrollment periods as a result of life-changing events, though the Trump administration had rebuffed calls to do so for the pandemic.When can I sign up? will run through...…The enrollment window has reopened for the Affordable Care Act exchange, and more than 100,000 Georgians may benefit.Why is this happening?Open enrollment for these plans, also known as Obamacare, usually happens in the fall. But as a result of the pandemic, with many people losing insurance coverage, President Joe Biden last month called for another enrollment period.The ACA allows the federal government to open special enrollment periods as a result of life-changing events, though the Trump administration had rebuffed calls to do so for the pandemic.When can I sign up? will run through...WW…

The coronavirus variant originally discovered in the United Kingdom is spreading throughout metro Atlanta, with 37 cases confirmed in the area as of Monday, according to the state Department of Public Health.That’s a jump from 23 confirmed at the end of last week.The , and others found in South Africa and Brazil, infect more people faster than the novel coronavirus the globe has been experiencing up to now. Preliminary research suggests that once the patient catches the virus, the British variant might also be more deadly than the main virus has been. Whether or not those findings bear out,...…The coronavirus variant originally discovered in the United Kingdom is spreading throughout metro Atlanta, with 37 cases confirmed in the area as of Monday, according to the state Department of Public Health.That’s a jump from 23 confirmed at the end of last week.The , and others found in South Africa and Brazil, infect more people faster than the novel coronavirus the globe has been experiencing up to now. Preliminary research suggests that once the patient catches the virus, the British variant might also be more deadly than the main virus has been. Whether or not those findings bear out,...WW…

We asked health care workers across Georgia to describe how they’re dealing with . Here are excerpts from their experiences as they described them to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.Editors' PicksThe LatestFeatured© 2022 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. All Rights Reserved. By using this website, you accept the terms of our , , , and understand your options regarding .…We asked health care workers across Georgia to describe how they’re dealing with . Here are excerpts from their experiences as they described them to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.Editors' PicksThe LatestFeatured© 2022 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. All Rights Reserved. By using this website, you accept the terms of our , , , and understand your options regarding .WW…