Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced Tuesday that more than 100 Georgia National Guard troops will deploy to 10 hospitals around the state to help staff amid a COVID-19 case and hospitalization surge.
State of play: "This Georgia National Guard mission is in addition to the 2,800 state-supported staff and 450 new beds brought online I announced last week, at a total state investment of $625 million through December of this year," Kemp stated in a news release.
- "I continue to urge all Georgians to talk to a medical professional about getting vaccinated," Kemp said.
The big picture: Georgia last week passed 1 million reported COVID-19 infections, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
- Kemp also last week issued an executive order allowing businesses to not comply with local mask or vaccine mandates meant to stop the spread of the virus.
Worth noting: Oregon, Hawaii and Kentucky have also deployed National Guard troops to help with COVID-19 case surges.