As Macon doctors, we need to be honest with you. 

Most of the patients we’ve seen for the past few months — most of the hospitalizations, most of the deaths — stem from COVID-19. And, of those who check in with COVID-19, an overwhelming majority are unvaccinated. 

Piedmont Macon and Piedmont Macon North have been at capacity. This is also true for hospitals across the region and the nation. 

All of this is preventable, and all of this is because of COVID-19. 

The reality is, the latest COVID-19 surge, driven by the highly infectious delta variant, outpaced the previous highest peak in COVID-19 infections. 

Here in Macon, we have already seen a higher number of patients than we did in even the largest past surge in January. The truth is that even though we’re all tired of changing our lives to manage COVID-19, we’re simply not out of the woods yet. 

And the consequences are dire. Increasingly, we are now seeing younger patients than ever before. We are seeing these patients get sicker, and sooner, than in previous waves. 

The need for ventilators is happening much more quickly and in greater numbers than in past surges.
The massive influx of COVID-19 patients is straining Georgia’s health resources, including nurses and equipment like ventilators. 

This isn’t just a nightmare playing out on the national news or in some other far-away community. This is the reality right here in Middle Georgia. 

We may be on the downside of the slope but it will be a long, grueling way down. Sadly, many patients will continue to die. 

Please know that it doesn’t have to be this way. This suffering is preventable. Of the patients in our health system, approximately 95 percent of them are not vaccinated, and nearly all of those who pass away are also unvaccinated. No matter how hard we fight to save each patient who needs our care, regardless of vaccination status, what’s clear is that those who are vaccinated respond better to the treatments we have available. And most who are vaccinated and have a breakthrough case, in fact, don’t need our care at all because they simply don’t experience severe illness — a testament to the effectiveness of vaccines. 

Protect yourself and your family today with a vaccine. If you already have, we thank you.
If you have worried about whether the vaccine is safe, we are here to assure you it is. Every single doctor signing this letter has read the safety data and then chose to receive the vaccine ourselves. So have our families and loved ones. So have our children and our parents. 

Choose the safest option of being vaccinated. 

We don’t want to see you in our hospital with COVID-19 because severe illness from COVID-19 is almost always preventable. 

But we do want to see you. We want to see you healthy at the grocery store, at church and at the local ball fields. 

Get vaccinated. Stay out of the hospital with COVID. Stand with others in helping us move forward – and let’s make sure we never have another COVID surge like this one. 

Sincerely,