NE Health District Adds 189 COVID Cases, Five Deaths From Disease

The Northeast Health District added five deaths attributed to COVID-19 with the release of the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report on Wednesday, 138 confirmed COVID-19 cases based on molecular tests, and 51 cases based on antigen rapid tests.

The seven-day rolling average of added deaths increased from 1.4 deaths per day on Tuesday to 1.6 on Wednesday, the seven-day rolling average of added cases based on the molecular test increased from 129.7 to 133.3, and the seven-day rolling average of added antigen cases dropped from 49.1 to 46.9.

One of the confirmed COVID-19 deaths–of a female aged 90 plus without a chronic condition–was in Clarke County. Clarke County also had a probable death listed in the Daily Status Report for which no characteristics were reported.

The other four confirmed COVID-19 deaths were of a 70-year-old female without a known chronic condition and of a 90-plus-year-old female without a known chronic condition, both from Elbert County, and of a 70-year-old male without a chronic condition and an 88-year-old without a specified gender and without a known chronic condition in Jackson County.

Every county in the 10-county District added confirmed cases based on the molecular tests, with Oconee County adding five and Clarke County adding 41. The seven-day rolling average of added cases in Oconee County stayed the same as on Tuesday, while it increased slightly in Clarke County.

Clarke County added seven cases based on antigen or rapid tests, while Oconee County added one.

The University of Georgia reported in its COVID-19 Health and Exposure Updates on Wednesday 65 local positive COVID-19 tests for the week ending Nov. 22, up from 48 a week earlier, and 97 total positive tests, up from 89 a week earlier.

The Georgia Hospital Association (GHA) and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) reported on Wednesday that the number of COVID-19 patients at area hospitals (79) decreased by seven from the day before, that the number of ICU beds in use (64) increased by one from the day before, and that the number of adult ventilators in use (29) decreased by one from the day before.

The Department of Community Health on Wednesday reported seven new cases of COVID-19 among residents of the 38 long-term care facilities in the Northeast Health District with COVID-19 and seven new cases of COVID-19 among the staff of those facilities.

For additional local reporting and for state data, please click through to Oconee County Observations.