Paulding County Health Department

The Voccio Viewpoint for 12/31/20: Dr. Gary Voccio, health director for the ten-county Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District, gives us h...is candid assessment of where we are with COVID-19 in Northwest Georgia on New Year’s Eve 2020 (and it’s not good). He also brings us the very latest news on COVID-19 vaccine availability in Northwest Georgia. Dr. Voccio and his public health team wish each of you a Happy -- and safe -- New Year. See more

The Voccio Viewpoint for 12/10/20: Dr. Gary Voccio, health director for the ten-county Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District, gives us h...is candid assessment of where we are with COVID-19 in Northwest Georgia the second week of December. He reviews the new CDC guidance on quarantine (see graphic in comments), updates us on the pending vaccine rollout, talks about the safety of the vaccine, and updates us on flu season. See more

The Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District (Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Paulding, Polk, and Walker counties) is beginning to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to individuals in TIER 1A ONLY. Tier 1A includes frontline healthcare workers, first responders to medical calls, and medical providers. Proof of healthcare employment is required. Healthcare providers should go to https://tinyurl.com/y9hxthhv to enroll to have their employees vaccinated. As vaccine becomes available, we will follow up directly with the point of contact given to arrange for employee vaccinations.

While a 14-day quarantine is still the best way to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19, two alternatives now make it easier for people to take this critical action.

The Voccio Viewpoint for 12/17/20: Dr. Gary Voccio, health director for the ten-county Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District, gives us h...is candid assessment of where we are with COVID-19 in Northwest Georgia the week before Christmas. He also brings us the very latest news on COVID-19 vaccine in Northwest Georgia. We will not post a coronavirus update video next week but will be back the week of 12/28/20. Dr. Voccio and his public health team wish each of you a wonderful -- and safe -- holiday season. See more

The Voccio Viewpoint for 10/23/20: Dr. Gary Voccio, health director for the ten-county Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District, updates us... on COVID-19 in Northwest Georgia. He also talks about flu and flu vaccination, offers some advice on how to recognize and avoid risky holiday situations, and provides tips on how to enjoy a less risky Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. See more

Due to a scheduling conflict, Our Paulding Meadows site will be closed today. They will resume testing 10/23/2020 at 8:30 am. If you are needing testing done today, please see the schedule on our Facebook site for other testing sites.

Dr. Gary Voccio, health director for the ten-county Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District gets his flu shot from District Immunizations Coordinator Mary Ann Long. Voccio urges everyone over six months of age to get a flu shot. This flu season is going to be more challenging than ever due to the added risk of COVID-19 in our community, Voccio says. Influenza and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different ...viruses. It’s possible for a person to get both the COVID-19 virus and the influenza virus at the same time or back-to-back, Voccio says. You can protect yourself and others from influenza by getting the flu vaccine as soon as possible this year, wearing a mask, practicing safe physical distancing, washing hands frequently, and staying home if you are sick with any kind of symptoms. Flu vaccine is available this year in all Northwest Georgia counties from a variety of sources, including private healthcare providers, retailers and pharmacies, and, of course, your local county health department. There may be some spot shortages of the high-dose flu vaccine for seniors. For more information on flu and flu vaccine, visit https://www.cdc.gov/flu. Please contact your local county health department for information about flu vaccine availability there. Find contact information for all Northwest Georgia county health departments here https://nwgapublichealth.org/counties.

Have You Heard that COVID-19 Vaccines are coming to Georgia? FACT: COVID-19 Vaccines will be in Georgia soon. We are working to get vaccines to front line healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities first. https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-vaccine

The Voccio Viewpoint for 10/15/20: Dr. Gary Voccio, health director for the ten-county Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District, updates us... on COVID-19 in Northwest Georgia. He also talks about precautions people still should be taking, student quarantines in schools, sources of outbreaks, and flu season. See more

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines teach our cells how to make a piece of a protein to trigger an immune response and build immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19. mRNA... does not affect or interact with a person’s DNA, and the cell breaks down and gets rid of the mRNA as soon as it is finished using these instructions. Learn about mRNA vaccines and how they work: https://bit.ly/39KeCPK.

If your #household includes one or more people who are more likely to get very sick from #COVID-19 then all household members should act as if they are more likely to get very sick. Learn how to Protect your Home from COVID-19 https://www.cdc.gov//prevent-gettin/protect-your-home.html

EVERYONE needs a flu shot. Yes, YOU! This #flu season, getting a flu shot is more important than ever. It's especially important for people who are high risk.... Tag @GaDPH in your flu shot photo w/the hashtag, #IGotMine. Find a flu vaccine near you: https://bit.ly/33D61L6

Our Paulding COVID-19 testing site will delay opening until 11:00 AM on Tuesday, 12/8/2020 due to freezing temperatures. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Public Health Career Opportunity: Information Technology (IT) Director, Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District, Rome, GA. To learn more and to apply, go to the following link. Smartphone users please scroll to bottom of job description to apply. https://www.governmentjobs.com//information-technology-man

The Voccio Viewpoint for 10/8/20: Dr. Gary Voccio, health director for the ten-county Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District, updates us ...on COVID-19 in Northwest Georgia. He also talks about counties with so-called "high transmission indicators" and what that means, why we're concerned about increases in positive cases in the 20-39 age group that are being followed by increases in the 60-plus age group, new guidance for Long Term Care Facilities that might make it easier to visit friends and loved ones in those places, and the acknowledgement by the CDC that aerosolized transmission may be a factor in spreading the virus. #VoccioViewpoint See more

Due to scheduling conflict, there will be no COVID-19 testing at Paulding Meadows on 10/8, 10/9, 10/12, 10/15. We will resume testing on Friday, 10/16. We apologize for any inconvenience. For other testing locations, please refer to the testing site information post.

The Voccio Viewpoint for 9/17/20: Dr. Gary Voccio, health director for the ten-county Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District, updates us on COVID-19 in Northwest Georgia. He also addresses the difficult issue of quarantines for students who are identified by their school as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case.

The COVID-19 testing site at Paulding Meadows is closed today, September 17, 2020 due to inclement weather. We will resume testing Friday, September 18, 2020 if weather permits. We apologize for any inconvenience.