12-03-2025
Local doctors reflect on impacts from COVID-19 on five-year anniversary of pandemic
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – This week marks five years since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic.
From mask mandates to social distancing requirements, the pandemic turned our world upside down.
But five years later, doctors say they are still seeing impacts from the disease.
The outbreak started in December 2019, with the first case coming out of Wuhan, China.
Dr. Phillip Coule with Wellstar MCG Health says that's when he started to get his team ready.
'We were really preparing for what we thought would be coming. So, when the WHO declared it was a global pandemic, that just kind of confirmed what we had suspected could happen,' said Coule.
Over the next few years, the disease took the world by storm. Businesses and schools were forced to close, and many losing jobs.
The healthcare industry perhaps took the hardest hit.
'Not only because of the burden of COVID on our patients—and a surge of critically ill patients—but complicating healthcare in terms of staffing shortages because of people getting COVID themselves. Not having enough staff, the supply chain disruptions,' Coule said.
Recent data from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) shows more than 1.2 million Americans have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic started.
But the World Health Organization says almost 4,000 Americans have been hospitalized from COVID just over the last month.
Coule says there are different reasons for this, but there are multiple types of coronaviruses that are impacting humans along with COVID-19.
'What appears to be happening is—now that we have immunization against COVID-19, and people have developed natural immunity against COVID-19—we are seeing a lessening of the impact. But this is kind of settling into being the 5th common coronavirus that affects humans and causes disease,' said Coule.
Georgia saw close to 1,000 people die per week from the disease at the height of the pandemic.
While those numbers are now down to less than 20 per week, Coule says some people should still take precautions.
'For those that have medical conditions, they do need to be concerned about it, much like they do with the flu or the other coronaviruses. It's still an issue of concern, but it very much is approaching becoming just another cold virus for the average person,' Coule added.
The recommendations for the elderly and those with severe medical conditions have not changed with wearing masks and social distancing.
While the impacts are still there, it's far less than it was just a few years ago.
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