NE Health District Adds Record Number Of COVID-19 Confirmed Cases

The Northeast Health of the Department of Public Health, led by Clarke County, recorded a record number 207 new COVID-19 confirmed cases on Friday and three deaths attributed to the disease.

Each of the 10 counties in the Northeast Health District added cases, but Clarke County’s 74 cases led the group and was the largest single-day increase for the county. The previous high number had been 65 on July 18.

Oconee County added 10 cases, and the seven-day rolling average for the 10-county District increased to 153.1, the highest number ever. The figure had been 148.1 on Thursday.

The three deaths included a 32-year-old female in Clarke County without a known chronic condition.

The other deaths were of a 70-year-old female in Walton County with a chronic condition and of an 85-year-old male in Walton County without a known chronic condition.

The seven-day rolling average of added deaths in the Northeast Health District increased to 0.5 on Friday from 0.3 on Thursday.

The tally of deaths in the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report does not include a death at Avery Place personal care home in Winterville in Clarke County reported in the Department of Community Health Long-Term Care Facility Report for Friday.

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported on Friday that the number of available Critical Care Beds at area hospitals increased from one to five. The number has not been higher than five since last Sunday.

The Georgia Department of Revenue on Friday released its sales tax distributions for June, giving another indicator of the nature of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local economy.

Oconee County collected nearly the same sales tax revenue in June of 2020 as it collected in June of 2019, and Clarke County actually collected more in sales tax in June of 2020 than it did in June of last years.

For more on the story, please go to Oconee County Observations.