Oconee County Coronavirus Update May 27

Press release from the Oconee County Government:

May 27, 2020

On May 27, Chairman John Daniell participated in a conference call with area healthcare providers and hospitals. Below is a joint statement that was issued following the conference call:

This afternoon, we held another conference call with our two local hospitals and other local healthcare providers and want to share the latest updates in the fight against COVID-19.

As has been reported on social media over the last couple of days, there has been a slight uptick locally of in-patient positive COVID-19 cases - which can be largely attributed to nursing homes and transfers from other facilities. Other providers have not seen significant differences in their numbers. For the latest number of cases and deaths by county, please visit dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report.

This information serves as another reminder that we must be especially careful and take extra precautions with our most vulnerable populations. The state is actively assisting nursing home facilities through the National Guard, Department of Public Health and all other available resources.

In order to help protect those most vulnerable, we must continue to be smart - wash our hands, social distance, wear a mask when unable to social distance and disinfect commonly used surfaces and areas.

Please know that our hospitals and healthcare facilities are safe to visit to take care of other medical conditions. It’s critical that individuals feel comfortable seeing their healthcare providers - which are taking all precautions to ensure a safe environment for everyone.

As a reminder, testing remains available to anyone regardless of symptoms. To schedule a test, please call the Northeast Health District’s hotline at 706-340-0996. The UGA/AU Mobile Clinic continues to do great work, having tested hundreds of individuals covering areas of the community where there are potential cases - particularly in underserved communities. The Mobile Clinic hotline is 706-308-4092.

We continue to remain in regular communication with each other and our healthcare providers and stand ready to assist in anyway as we continue to move forward as a community.

Mayor Kelly GirtzMayor Dodd FerrelleChairman John DaniellSenator Bill CowsertSenator Frank GinnRepresentative Spencer FryeRepresentative Houston GainesRepresentative Marcus Wiedower

This press release was produced by the Oconee County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.