In April, Cobb County opened a temporary call center to help residents make appointments for COVID-19 vaccines. Over time, the hotline became a source of information for residents seeking emergency rental assistance.
But as new COVID cases spike to alarming levels again due to the Delta variant, Cobb’s info line took its last calls Friday.
Cobb County’s 14-day case rate has more than tripled since July 20 to 399 cases per 100,000 residents, according to Cobb and Douglas Public Health.
Cobb used about $2 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act money to fund the call center for four months. According to county spokesman Ross Cavitt, that four-month contract expired Friday. Cavitt said there are provisions in place to restart the call center, but that would require more funding, possibly from Cobb’s federal American Rescue Plan Act grant.
The call center handled more than 1,400 calls over four months. The call volume gradually dropped after an initial surge as COVID cases declined and the vaccine became available to more Georgia residents. In June, the center was expanded to start helping residents seeking emergency rental assistance.
As of Monday, Cobb County had distributed $11.3 million, or just shy of half, of the nearly $22.9 million in federal aid granted to the county for emergency rental assistance.
In March, Cobb County was allocated another $7 million in a second round of funding for rental assistance through the American Rescue Plan Act. Cavitt said those dollars won’t be used until the original $22.9 million pot is exhausted.
Cobb County officials say the call center could return if COVID cases continue to spike or if there’s a surge in requests for emergency rental assistance. The hotline could also be converted into a 311 information center in the future.
“We proposed the call center at a time when people were desperate to make an appointment to get the COVID-19 vaccine and supplies of the vaccine were low,” County Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said in a statement. “Even though it is closing, we have the infrastructure in place to reopen it if the situation with the latest COVID surge starts overwhelming our resources once again.”
The Cobb-Douglas health department is offering free COVID-19 vaccines. Rental assistance is being routed through multiple Cobb County charities.
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