Kemp Touts Lowest Day Of Ventilator Use, Cases Update

GEORGIA — Gov. Brian Kemp said Sunday that Georgia saw its lowest day for ventilator utilization in Georgia this weekend. On April 8, hospitals began submitting ventilator use data to Georgia Emergency Management Agency. There are 1,916 ventilators available out of 2,880 total.

Georgia's cases of the new coronavirus increased by 387 and deaths by five from noon Saturday to noon Sunday. According to the latest Georgia Department of Public Health data, there are 28,602 confirmed cases and 1,177 deaths.

As of mid-day Sunday, 174,800 tests have been conducted, up 6,433 from the last update on Friday. Kemp said Friday the number of tests reported doubled in the last week. The state's one-day high was 20,675 tests reported on April 30. Public health has provided a map of testing locations around the state.

Of the 5,393 total hospitalizations among positive cases, 1,177 are intensive care unit (ICU) admissions. These reflect information at the time cases were reported to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

Fulton County leads the state with 2,973 cases, followed by DeKalb County with 2,180, Gwinnett County with 1,970, Cobb County with 1,762, Hall County with 1,695 and Dougherty County with 1,534. Dougherty County, though, has the highest death count at 124, followed by 122 in Fulton County and 96 in Cobb County.

After Taliaferro County reported its first case of coronavirus this weekend, Glascock County became the only county in Georgia without a confirmed case.

The public health website provides graphs of cumulative cases and deaths over time. Numbers over the last 14 days may be incomplete due to cases not yet reported as well as pending test results.

"A confirmed case is defined as a person who has tested positive for 2019 novel coronavirus," says the Georgia Department of Health. "Healthcare providers diagnose patients with COVID-19 and they, along with laboratories, report the COVID-19 cases to the Georgia DPH. These numbers are preliminary and may change as more information is gathered on a person under investigation."

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Georgia's shelter-in-place order expired at the end of April 30 for all but several high-risk groups. These individuals, including residents 65 and older, are ordered to shelter in place through June 12. Although many residents are no longer under a shelter-in-place order, Kemp urged them "to stay home whenever possible."

Certain businesses are allowed to operate while following restrictions through May 13. Kemp also extended the public health state of emergency through June 12 to continue increasing testing, boost contact tracing, and continue emergency response operations.

Globally, more than 3.4 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and over 244,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Sunday morning. In the U.S., more than 1.1 million people have been infected and over 66,000 people have died from COVID-19.

SEE ALSO:

• COVID-19 Still Spreading In GA — But The Curve Is Flattening
• Gov. Kemp Urging Georgians to Wear Face Coverings In Public
• Model Projects 23K GA Deaths If Coronavirus Limits End In 4 Weeks