Health & Fitness
GA Coronavirus: 10 Deaths, 287 Cases; Emergency Ordinances Set
The numbers of deaths in Georgia from coronavirus jumped to 10 on Thursday, with 287 people also testing positive.
GEORGIA — New numbers released Thursday from the Georgia Department of Public Health show there have been 10 deaths and 287 cases of coronavirus across the state.
With the new cases, the DPH released the numbers of tests taken across the state, which totaled more than 1,800.
There have been 1,323 tests done in a commercial lab, with 174 coming in positive. The Department of Public Health Lab has done 508 tests, and had 113 positives.
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The number of confirmed and presumed positive cases of COVID-19 rose from 197 on Wednesday to 287 cases in 28 counties on Thursday.
Fulton County has the most cases in the state with 66, followed by Cobb County with 37, Bartow with 26, DeKalb with 22, Dougherty with 20, Cherokee with 16, Gwinnett with 12, Fayette with nine, and Clarke with eight.
Find out what's happening in Across Georgiafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Presumed positive coronavirus cases in Georgia as of Thursday include: Fulton County, Cobb County, Bartow County, DeKalb County, Dougherty County, Cherokee County, Gwinnett County, Fayette County, Clarke County, Lowndes County, Floyd County, Clayton County, Hall County, Gordon County, Lee County, Coweta County, Paulding County, Newton County, Forsyth County, Henry County, Early County, Glynn County, Laurens County, Richmond County, Troup County, Rockdale County, Houston County, Charlton County, Whitfield County, Polk County, Columbia County, Barrow County, Bibb County, Peach County, Muscogee County and six cases unknown.
Males make up 53 percent of cases, and those in the 18-59 age group are 46 percent of cases. Individuals 60 and older comprise 35 percent of cases.
The state's first fatality was a 67-year-old man who was hospitalized at WellStar Kennestone who tested positive for coronavirus on March 7, authorities said.
On Wednesday, three more deaths were confirmed in Georgia.
Wednesday morning, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital received 14 test results, including 13 positives. Two of those patients, being cared for at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, have died.
The individuals, a 42-year-old woman and a 69-year-old-woman, both died in the Albany hospital. In addition to testing positive for COVID-19, each had existing medical conditions, DPH said.
"The entire Phoebe Family is saddened to learn of the first COVID-19 deaths in our area," said Steven Kitchen, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital Chief Medical Officer. "We remain committed to faithfully serving the needs of our community. Each day, we are caring for additional people we suspect may have COVID-19. Unfortunately, more deaths are likely to occur, and we will certainly see more positive cases as we receive more test results. We strongly urge everyone to heed warnings and practice proper social distancing. We need to do all we can now to try to slow the spread of the virus."
No identifying details about a patient treated at Emory Healthcare who died have been released, including which Emory facility the patient was at, WSB-TV reports.
"The Emory Healthcare community is saddened to learn of the first death of one of our patients with confirmed COVID-19 despite the heroic efforts of our physicians, nurses and care team," Emory said in a statement to the station. "For this patient's family, this is an incredibly sad day."
Globally, more than 222,000 people have been infected and more than 9,100 people have died from the new coronavirus, Johns Hopkins reported Thursday. Of that total, more than 9,400 confirmed cases are in the United States. There have been 150 deaths in the U.S. have been tied to the virus outbreak, as of Thursday morning.
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GA Senator Tests Positive For Coronavirus; Lt. Gov. Isolates
State Senator Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, said on Wednesday that he tested positive for coronavirus. Beach was at the Georgia Capitol on Monday for the special session.
He will now be in a 14-day quarantine at home. Beach released a statement:
"After experiencing a fever and cough, I sought medical attention last week. The diagnosis I was given was not coronavirus, but I did get tested for it on Saturday. With medication, I felt better by Monday and thought I was in the clear. Today, however, my test came back positive.
For now, I'm at home. I continue to suffer from a fever and cough, but I'm following doctor's orders, including the admonition to stay away from the hospital unless it becomes difficult to breathe. I know many Georgians are praying hard as we weather this crisis together, and frankly, I'd ask that they pray for me, as well as all the others in our state who are going through this right now – and those who soon will.
I know I face a difficult two weeks, but I'll work to keep everyone updated on my progress. With the support of my wife – who is keeping a safe distance and so far doesn't have symptoms – and my family and friends, I know I'll get through this and get back to work for my constituents."
Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan released a statement Wednesday that said he will be in self-quarantine due to the positive test results from Beach.
"Today one of our Senate members tested positive for the coronavirus. As a result, I have been told to go into a self-quarantine for the next 14 days," said Lt. Governor Duncan. "I rest easy knowing that suspending the 2020 session was the right call. We want to protect our members, their families and the individuals they come in contact with daily. The special session on Monday was absolutely necessary to ratify the governor's public health state of emergency, and we tried to take serious precautions to keep members safe while at the Capitol.
These are difficult times and there is a lot of uncertainty, but I am proud of Georgia's response to COVID-19. I encourage all of us to continue to heed the warnings of Gov. Kemp and the Trump Administration - we have to take this seriously."
Many cities and counties have enacted emergency ordinances including:
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