Oconee, Clarke, Barrow Have COVID-19 Deaths In Thursday Reports

The Department of Public Health listed four new Northeast Health District deaths attributed to COVID-19 with the release of the Daily Status Report on Thursday, bringing to 18 the number of deaths in the last week in the District and pushing the seven-day rolling average to 2.6.

Two of the deaths were in Barrow County, and the other two were in Oconee and Clarke counties.

The seven-day rolling average of added deaths had been 2.0 on Wednesday.

The Daily Status Report listed 150 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Thursday in the 10-county Northeast Health District, and the seven-day rolling average–which had been dropping–increased to 124.3 on Thursday from 115.0 on Wednesday.

Each of the counties in the District added cases, with Oconee County adding three and Clarke County adding 31.

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) listed four Critical Care Beds available at area hospitals as of noon on Thursday, down from nine on Tuesday and the first time that the number of Critical Care Beds available has fallen below five going back to Aug. 7.

GEMA, in its partnership with the Georgia Hospital Association, also listed 132 Confirmed COVID-19 Hospitalizations in area hospitals on Thursday, up from 115 on Wednesday.

Ventilator Use increased to 33 on Thursday from 27 the day before.

Michael Burnett, president and CEO of Piedmont Athens Regional, in a Virtual Town Hall Meeting on Thursday morning, said the pattern of COVID-19 cases at the hospital reflected the overall pattern in the state.

For more on Burnett’s comments, details of state data, and charts summarizing both regional and state data, please go to Oconee County Observations.