Coffee County continues to see decrease in COVID cases

Coffee County EMA Director James Brown presented the County Commission with good news again at the Feb. 22 commission meeting as COVID-19 cases in the county have continued to decrease since peaking in January.

Brown said that the state has seen a 75 percent drop from January and that Coffee County went from 52 cases per day back in January to just nine per day now. Still, Brown said he wants residents to continue to seek out the vaccine.

“With our numbers dropping we don’t want people to become complacent and not seek the vaccine,” Brown said. “Please, if you can, seek a vaccine if you’re eligible. I know there’s not many out there right now but we are moving up on that.”

Brown said that hospital rates have dropped significantly, as well. He said that 867 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state, down from a high of 3,070 in January. Brown also said ICU use has dropped back down to a “normal” range.

Brown said his office would be meeting with WalMart this week to try and help increase the amount of vaccine they are receiving. He said that Enterprise’s WalMart is currently vaccinating 80 people per day. Brown also said that Johnson and Johnson’s new one-dose vaccine is expected to be approved for emergency use as soon as this week.

In other business, the commission approved the reappointment of Dan Stokes and James Liptrot to the Coffee County Water Authority Board of Directors for another six-year term. Both Stokes and Liptrot’s terms were scheduled to expire in March.

Back in January the Coffee County Commission approved the county’s scheduled involvement in creating the Wiregrass Trails Partnership to explore the possibility and options of potentially taking part in the Rails to Trails program in the county.

Rails to Trails is a national program that helps transform abandoned railroad tracks into walking and jogging paths. On Feb. 22, the county commission approved a formal application to join the committee, which was a requirement to become a part of the Wiregrass Trails Partnership.

The next County Commission meeting will be held on March 8 in the county conference room in New Brockton at 9 a.m.