COVID-19 Archives

Cobb COVID-19 community spread numbers reach highest levels

December 30, 2020 3:34 PMDecember 22, 2020 5:53 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb COVID community spread — *To view details of the hover map, **click here**. Source: Georgia DPH*

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March, the 14-day average number of daily reported cases in Cobb County has surpassed 600 per 100,000 people.

According to the latest figures from the Georgia Department of Health, Cobb’s current rate is 601 per 100,000, well above the “high community spread” metric.

Since October, when the county’s figure briefly dipped below 100—the threshold for what public health officials consider high community spread—that number has been on a sharp rise.

While Cobb’s climb has prompted two “surge alerts” over the last three weeks from Dr. Janet Memark, the Cobb and Douglas Public Health director, other areas of the state, particularly in rural counties of northeast Georgia, have seen that 14-day average shoot above 1,000.

Statewide the 14-day average is 619 confirmed cases per 100,000.

Memark’s alerts also were issued with the holiday season in mind. Last week, she wrote her most urgent message yet, warning of a “dire situation” as the combined PCR and antigen test figure soared close to 700.

On Tuesday, 347 more cases were confirmed in Cobb, continuing a trend of reported cases at or above 300 since early December, including a single-day record of 464 on Dec. 18.

Also on Tuesday, 6,242 more cases were confirmed across Georgia, a single-day record for reported cases.

Those figures do not specify what’s known as the “date of onset”—or when someone reports having COVID symptoms and gets tested. Georgia DPH keeps a tally of those figures, and they have been sharply rising as well over the last three months.

Cobb set—for now—a record of 446 date of onset cases on Dec. 14. That’s a provisional figure, since it comes within a 14-day window. On the same day, a record 5,379 cases also were comfirmed in Georgia, although that too is a number that is likely to be revised.

Since March, Cobb has 33,330 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 537 deaths, including six more reported Tuesday.

Cobb COVID case swipe map 12.21.20

In East Cobb, a ZIP Code swipe map updated Monday by Commissioner Bob Ott (above, with school icons shown in blue) shows 8,038 confirmed COVID cases and 120 deaths, broken down as follows:

30062: 2,349 cases, 30 deaths
30066: 2,150 cases, 30 deaths
30067: 2,044 cases, 23 deaths
30068: 1,227 cases, 35 deaths
30075: 268 cases, 2 deaths

The case totals for ZIP Code 30062 are the second-highest in Cobb County, trailing the Powder Springs ZIP Code of 30127, where 2,652 cases have been reported. (They’re also the two biggest ZIP Codes in the county, with respective populations of 65,662 and 66,395.)

In Georgia there have been 518,902 cases and 9,503 deaths since March, with 52 more fatalities reported Tuesday.

The rate of hospitalizations also has been a concern for public health officials in recent weeks. According to a statewide dashboard, 83 percent of in-patient hospital beds are currently in use; for ICU beds it’s 87.7 percent of capacity and for emergency beds it’s 60 percent.

In Cobb and Douglas counties (Region N) 90 percent of 1,287 total beds are currently in use.

McBath, Loeffler and Perdue vote for COVID relief package

December 22, 2020 2:39 PMDecember 22, 2020 12:49 PM by Wendy Parker

U.S. Rep Lucy McBath, gun violence research funding, McBath border-funding vote — *U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath*

The U.S. Congress passed a $2.3 trillion omnibus spending package Monday that includes $900 billion in new relief from the economic impact of COVID-19 shutdowns.

U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath of the 6th Congressional District and U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue of Georgia were among the overwhelming majorities in both houses that approved the measures, which await President Donald Trump’s signature.

The relief bill includes $284 billion in a new round of Paycheck Protection Program loans for small businesses to keep employees on the payroll.

Another $82 billion has been designated to help K-12 schools and universities with reopenings; $25 billion for rental assistance; $22 billion to help states with COVID testing; $20 billion for vaccine development; an extension of unemployment benefits by $300 a week from Dec. 16 until March 14, 2021; and a $600 direct stimulus payment per individual.

Unlike the previous COVID stimulus bill, this one doesn’t include earmarked funding for state and local governments.

McBath, a first-term Democrat from Marietta, voted with the House majority in a 359-53 vote, while Loeffler and Perdue, who are in Jan. 5 runoffs, were part of the Senate’s 92-6 majority.

Critics of the bill complained that the catch-all fiscal year 2021 government spending bill of $1.4 trillion—done to avoid a government shutdown—was added to the COVID spending package.

The COVID relief items took up only a few hundred pages of a 5,593-page bill (you can read through the whole thing here) that lawmakers had only a few hours to absorb before the vote.

The only Georgia lawmaker to vote against the bill was U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, a Republican who represents the 10th Congressional District of eastern and central Georgia.

Georgia public health dept. launches COVID vaccine dashboard

December 21, 2020 6:03 PM by Wendy Parker

Wellstar receives COVID vaccines — *Initial COVID vaccine shipments being stored at Kennestone Hospital. Source: Wellstar Health System*

Submitted information:

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is launching a vaccine dashboard that will track the number of providers enrolled to give vaccines, allocations and shipments from vaccine manufacturers, and vaccines administered. The dashboard will reflect the previous day’s totals, and will be updated Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. The dashboard can be found on the DPH website at https://dph.georgia.gov.

The Food and Drug Administration granted Emergency Use Authorization to Moderna for its COVID-19 vaccine Dec. 18, 2020. Georgia’s first allocation of Moderna vaccine is 174,000 doses and shipments are expected to begin arriving today through Wednesday. These shipments will be sent directly to providers.

DPH is also anticipating a second allocation of 60,000 Pfizer vaccine doses this week of which 20,000 will be set aside for long-term care facilities, specifically skilled nursing facilities, to begin vaccination Dec. 28. Most long-term care facilities in Georgia are working with CVS and Walgreens on vaccine administration to residents and staff.

It is important to note that Pfizer only ships Sunday through Thursday to avoid vaccine arriving over the weekend when some facilities are closed and to avoid issues for facilities without ultracold storage that are using dry ice for temperature control. The remaining 10,000 doses of vaccine from the first Pfizer allocation of 84,000 will arrive at facilities today.

There are more than 537,000 healthcare workers in Georgia, and as of Friday, the state had received approximately 72,000 doses of vaccine. With the expected Moderna shipment and second allocation of Pfizer vaccine, that number will more than quadruple over the next several days, providing greater access to vaccine for more healthcare workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities. It is up to each provider to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for prioritizing vaccination among their staff, as well as adhering to the vaccine provider agreement they signed when they enrolled as a provider. This will help ensure that vaccine is administered first to those healthcare workers in direct contact with COVID-19 patients or those who handle COVID-19 materials.

As both Pfizer and Moderna are able to ramp up production of vaccine in the coming days and weeks, supply should better meet demand for each phase of allocation and administration. Until that time, providers and the public are urged to be patient as we work together to get vaccine distributed in the most efficient and equitable way possible. The criteria for allocating vaccine is based, first and foremost, on supply and shipping, neither of which DPH controls. DPH does use the following criteria for allocation of vaccine to providers:

Number of individuals within a defined group (phase) to be immunized

Previous allocations of vaccine doses received

Number of doses used from previous allocation

Ultracold storage capacity and ability to use large number of doses versus smaller may determine Pfizer versus Moderna allocation

Geographic considerations and access in rural/underserved areas of Georgia

Healthcare workers have several options for getting vaccinated:

Health care workers affiliated with a health care system (hospital, clinic or private practice) or pharmacy should contact their respective facilities about the process for vaccinating eligible employees.

Health care workers with access to a community hospital or pharmacy can seek vaccination there.

Health care workers without access to these facilities – including those who have started the enrollment process to become a COVID-19 vaccine administration site but have not yet been approved – should contact their district health office (https://dph.georgia.gov/media/60761/download) for vaccination

All Georgians are urged to continue to follow basic COVID-19 prevention measures: wear a mask, practice social distancing, wash your hands frequently and follow the guidance of Public Health and the guidelines in the Governor’s Executive Order.

For information about COVID-19, visit https://dph.georgia.gov/novelcoronavirus or https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.

Wellstar receives COVID-19 vaccines for health care workers

December 17, 2020 3:12 PMDecember 17, 2020 2:20 PM by Wendy Parker

Wellstar receives COVID vaccines

Wellstar Health System announced Thursday that it’s received 3,900 doses of Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, which will be administered voluntarily to its frontline staff.

Some of those workers were getting the vaccine on Thursday at Kennestone Hospital. According to a Wellstar press release, they include those in emergency and intensive-care departments, urgent care, skilled nursing facilities, paramedics and adult and pediatric primary care offices.

Wellstar said another shipment will be coming next week as part of the first phase of vaccine distribution, and that those in line to be vaccinated are essential workers and individuals ages 16 and older.

The Georgia Department of Public Health determines how an estimated 84,000 doses of vaccines are being distributed across the state.

More from Wellstar about the vaccine rollout can be found by clicking here.

Cobb and Douglas Public Health also has more information on COVID vaccines.

Cobb health director: ‘Dire situation’ as COVID spread grows

December 15, 2020 6:28 PM by Wendy Parker

Saying that “we are in substantial community transmission of COVID-19,” the director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health issued a “surge alert” Tuesday for the second time in as many weeks.

Dr. Janet Memark said that although there are arrivals of promising vaccines coming soon, “I would be remiss to not mention the dire situation that our community is facing.”

She said the 14-day average of COVID0-19 cases Cobb County is 678 per 100,000, which includes both forms of COVID tests: The basic and more common PCR test, and the rapid antigen tests.

The Georgia Department of Public Health daily status report on Wednesday indicated that the 14-day average for the PCR test alone is 524, a figure that has been growing sharply in recent weeks. That’s also high as that figure was during the summer spike.

Public health officials say a two-week average of 100 cases per 100,000 is considered high community spread.

Earlier Tuesday the Cobb County School District announced that the fall semester would end all-online, as Thursday and Friday classes are switching to a remote format due to the COVID case surge.

Last week, Memark sent a letter to school parents urging caution, following a Cobb single-day record of 404 reported cases of COVID-19.

Thus far in December there have been 4,331 cases reported in Cobb, an average of 288 a day. On Wednesday, another 215 cases were reported.

More from Memark’s surge alert letter:

“Hospitals are extremely full with a record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations to match the record number of cases that we are seeing. Much of what we are seeing is thought to be due to the holiday traveling and gathering from the Thanksgiving vacation.

“Many of you may have heard that Cobb schools announced an early switch to virtual learning for the rest of the week before the holiday break. I know that this is an inconvenience to many of our families, but the rising number of cases being brought into the schools increases the risk of in-school transmission. We work collaboratively with the school districts to help them have the safest environment for both students and faculty.

“These extra days will also allow Cobb & Douglas Public Health and Cobb County School District staff to complete case investigation and contact tracing on existing cases in an attempt to keep families of students/staff healthy during the holiday break.

“Vaccination for the mass population is still months away. Many of our residents can be hospitalized or lose their lives to COVID-19 in that time frame. We need you to help us slow this down and reverse the trajectory that we are on.”

Memark didn’t provide hospitalization figures, and urged the public to continue following public health guidance, including mask-wearing in public, washing hands and staying at least six feet away from others.

She also urged people not to gather “with those outside of your immediate family bubble. We know these actions work and it is critically important that we all do our part to fight this virus.”

Since the pandemic began in March, there have been 30,800 COVID-19 cases in Cobb County and 518 deaths, the second-highest number of fatalities in Georgia behind the 707 who have died in Fulton County.

In Georgia, there have been 484,152 cases and 9,250 confirmed deaths. On Wednesday, there were 4,860 new cases and 35 confirmed deaths reported by the state DPH.

Cobb schools to close fall semester online-only

December 15, 2020 6:39 PMDecember 15, 2020 12:29 PM by Wendy Parker

The Cobb County School District announced Tuesday that the last two days of classes in the fall semester, this Thursday and Friday, will be online only due to rising COVID-19 cases.

The district said in a release that the decision was “based on guidance by Cobb and Douglas Public Health.” Here’s more from the district:

“The number of positive COVID-19 cases in our community continues to rise and we are taking every possible step, including using remote learning days, to keep community spread from becoming school spread.

“This was not an easy decision and we understand that this may be a difficulty for some of our families. Working collaboratively with Cobb & Douglas Public Health, this decision is intended to benefit our students, staff, and could help our entire community be safer and healthier over the holiday break.

“These two additional remote learning days will also give District and public health staff the time they need to effectively and efficiently contact trace existing cases.”

Another 351 COVID-19 cases were reported in Cobb on Monday, following last week’s single-day record of 404. The previous record of 363 was set only on Dec. 4, and these figures are similar to numbers recorded during a summer surge of reported cases in the county.

In another key metric, the 14-day average of cases per 100,000 people in Cobb continues to skyrocket. It was 521 on Monday, and has been sharply rising over the last month.

That’s much higher than the “high community spread” category of 100 cases per 100,000.

Last week Dr. Janet Memark, the director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health, issued letters to school parents urging them to limit activities during the holidays, noting that cases in the school district are coming from outside of a school environment.

Cobb schools provides updated COVID-related information at its Learning Everywhere page.

Cobb, Georgia set daily records for reported COVID-19 cases

December 10, 2020 4:38 PMDecember 10, 2020 3:28 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb COVID cases record — *A Georgia DPH chart of COVID-19 cases in Cobb County according to date of report. For details **click here**.*

A total of 375 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Cobb County on Thursday, a one-day record since figures started to be compiled in March.

The seven-day moving average of case totals also moved to its highest point during the pandemic, to 270.3 cases per day in the county.

Those figures from the Georgia Department of Health’s COVID-19 Daily Status Report are according to the date they were reported to the state, not the day a COVID-19 test was confirmed positive by a county health agency.

Georgia also set a single-day “date of report” record Thursday, with 6,126 new cases, along with 55 deaths. Cobb’s death total rose from 509 to 511, the second-highest in the state behind Fulton County, which has 697 deaths.

The previous single-day date of report record in Cobb, 363, was reported on Dec. 4, and lasted less than a week.

The sharp rise in cases also is occurring in the “date of onset” category for Cobb and Georgia. That data is shown in the Daily Status Report with a 14-day window; those figures are provisional and are likely to be revised.

On Nov. 30, there were 266 cases in Cobb that were confirmed on that day, or “date of onset.” That’s the highest single-day number in the county since a summer surge of cases in July that occasionally saw more than 300 cases a day.

In Cobb there were 250 cases on Dec. 1 according to date of onset, and 254 cases the following day.

Cobb has reported 29,175 cases of COVID-19 since March. In the last two weeks, 3,212 cases have been reported, and the level of community spread continues to grow.

As of Thursday, the 14-day average of cases per 100,000 population is 406, the highest since the summer.

Public health officials consider a 14-day average of 100 cases per 100,000 to be high community spread. Cobb dipped under 100 for a day in August, but that figure has gradually increased through the fall.

Last Friday, Dr. Janet Memark, the director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health, issued a “surge alert” expressing concern about “an alarming number of cases being reported to public health this week. The timing is right for the beginnings of the results of any activities over the Thanksgiving break.”

She said that emergency room visits and hospitalizations are on the rise, and “critical care beds for the district remain critically low” and there is “a continuing rise in patients with COVID-19 requiring hospitalization.” She did not provide any figures.

Date of report cases in Georgia have been at their highest since late November, far surpassing the summer surge. The state’s previous one-day record was 4,780 in July, but that figure has been eclipsed three times in the last two weeks.

Before Thursday’s reported case record, there were 5,015 cases on Dec. 1 and 4,867 on Dec. 4. The state 7-day moving average also is at its highest point, 4,148.4 cases a day.

In the date of onset category, 4,213 cases were reported on Dec. 3, the highest since those figures pushed beyond 5,000 for several days during the summer.

To date there have been 462,175 COVID-19 cases in Georgia and 9,123 deaths.

This week Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said the state could get its first shipments of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines within the next 7-10 days. They are expected to be given emergency approval for distribution by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Several hundred thousand doses will be sent to Georgia initially, with long-term care home residents and health care workers the first to receive them.

The Georgia Department of Public Health has more information here about the COVID-19 vaccines.

McBath to hold virtual town hall meeting on COVID-19 vaccine

December 9, 2020 5:23 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb Commissioners Coronavirus meeting

U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath’s office said Wednesday she’ll be holding a virtual town hall meeting Thursday on the status of vaccine development for COVID-19.

The event will include presentations from medical experts, including Dr. Carlos del Rio and Dr. Colleen Kelley of Emory University and the Moderna vaccine trial at Grady, as well as Dr. Michelle Au, a physician and public health expert who was recently elected to the Georgia State Senate.

The town hall begins at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. You can dial into the event by calling (877) 299-5762 at the time of the event, or stream it live by going to mcbath.house.gov/live.

The meeting also will include a Q and A session after the presentations.

On Tuesday Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said the state could get its first shipments of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines within the next 7-10 days. They are expected to be given emergency approval for distribution by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Several hundred thousand doses will be sent to Georgia initially, with long-term care home residents and health care workers the first to receive them.

The Georgia Department of Public Health has more information here about the COVID-19 vaccines.

Georgia has more than 456,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 9,073 deaths as of Wednesday, according to Georgia DPH.

In Cobb County, there have been 28,790 confirmed cases and 509 deaths.

Cobb COVID-19 deaths surpass 500; 110 reported in East Cobb

December 10, 2020 2:38 PMDecember 3, 2020 4:37 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb COVID deaths surpass 500 — *To view ZIP Code map details, **click here**. Source: Cobb and Douglas Public Health*

While the rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Georgia mounts, the number of deaths due to the virus in Cobb County has surpassed 500.

That’s according to the latest figures from Cobb and Douglas Public Health, which on Wednesday reported that there have been 501 deaths and 26,973 cases in Cobb County since March.

Of those, 110 deaths have come in East Cobb, which has 6,331 cumulative cases to date.

UPDATED: On Friday, Dr. Janet Memark, the director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health, issued a “surge alert” expressing concern about “an alarming number of cases being reported to public health this week. The timing is right for the beginnings of the results of any activities over the Thanksgiving break.”

A link to a hover map of the above ZIP code map can be found here; the data is updated through Wednesday.

The heaviest areas for cases and deaths in Cobb is in South Cobb and the Marietta ZIP Code of 30060, which has 1,941 cases and 55 deaths. In Powder Springs 30127, there have been 2,144 cases and 48 deaths.

Here’s how cases and deaths break down in East Cobb ZIP Codes:

30062: 1,875 cases; 28 deaths
30066: 1,706 cases; 27 deaths
30067: 1,611 cases; 20 deaths
30068: 931 cases; 33 deaths
30075: 208 cases; 2 deaths

Of the 110 deaths in East Cobb, 36 have been reported at long-term care facilities, according to the latest figures from the Georgia Department of Community Health.

Since we last took a deep look into those numbers in July, another 14 people have died in those facilities located in the ZIP Codes shown above.

Six of those new fatalities have been reported at the A.G. Rhodes home on Wylie Road and two at Manor Care on Johnson Ferry Place.

Cobb COVID deaths surpass 500

The ZIP Code data does not include age breakdowns. But as of Wednesday, as reflected in the pie chart above, Cobb and Douglas Public Health figures show that 72.4 percent of all Cobb COVID deaths are those age 70 and over; 87 percent are age 60 and older.

Nearly 42 percent of the deaths are among those who were age 80 or older.

By contrast, younger age groups make up the largest portion of confirmed COVID cases in Cobb County. Those ages 19-50 account for 58.8 percent of all cases, and the 18-60 age groups make up 72.9 percent of the cases.

More details about cases and deaths by race and sex can also be found here.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Daily COVID Status Report, 2,459 cases have been reported in Cobb County over the last two weeks.

More importantly, the level of community spread continues to rise, and for the first time this summer exceeds a 14-day average of 300 cases per 100,000 people. As of Thursday, that number is 311 (100 cases per 100,000 is considered “high” community spread).

That’s a metric that has been steadily going up over the fall, after dropping to just under 100 briefly after the start of the school year.

Georgia DPH breaks down several statistical categories by the date numbers are reported, and the date which a case or death was confirmed.

In Cobb, 322 cases were reported on Thursday. According to the “date of onset,” or the date a case is confirmed, Cobb has been reporting daily cases in excess of 200 in recent weeks.

On Nov. 30, for example, there were 2,939 cases confirmed on that date, close to the 2,988 figure reported on Nov. 16. The latter is the highest single-day date of onset case total in Cobb since August.

On Thursday, three more deaths were reported in Cobb; there are no deaths in the date of death figures, but that’s a preliminary figure that is likely to be updated.

As of Thursday, the 7-day moving average of deaths according to date of death in Cobb is 4.6, but that also is likely to be revised. As of Nov. 19, the last day before the current 14-day window, Cobb reported 21 deaths for a 7-day moving average of 20.4.

A total of 433,353 COVID cases have been confirmed in Georgia since March, along with 8,879 deaths.

On Thursday 4,419 new cases were reported, the highest single-day figure since July. Another 53 deaths were also reported, along with 245 new hospitalizations.

You can view those and other details at the Georgia DPH COVID Daily Status Report link; it is updated daily at 3 p.m.

East Cobb UMC drive-up COVID testing site draws long lines

November 30, 2020 3:15 PMNovember 23, 2020 4:07 PM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb rapid COVID-19 testing

This was the scene Monday morning westbound on Roswell Road between East Piedmont Road and Sewell Mill Road: Long lines at a rapid COVID-19 pop-up facility at East Cobb United Methodist Church.

Conducted by Viral Solutions, a private company, the rapid-testing set-up includes a drive-through tent in the parking lot of the church sanctuary.

No appointments are needed, and there are no out-of-pocket costs for the tests, according to Viral Solutions, which says it’s accepting all forms of insurance.

These are the standard “PCR” tests, which detect the presence of the COVID-19 virus, and they’re the most common form of COVID test. The test results are reported in 24-36 hours.

This is one of five pop-up sites in metro Atlanta for Viral Solutions.

The location at East Cobb UMC (2325 Roswell Road) is open from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1-5 p.m. Monday-Friday (with a lunch break from 12:30-1) and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Cobb and Douglas Public Health is continuing free COVID-19 test this week, including Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Life University in Marietta.

Free testing also takes place at Jim Miller Park. For more information click here.

Cobb public health director: Limit ‘non-essential’ activity

November 21, 2020 3:06 PMNovember 21, 2020 1:25 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb public health director, Cobb COVID cases — *After a recent drop in the 7-day moving average of COVID cases in Cobb, that figure has risen to more than 100 a day. Source: Georgia Department of Public Health. **Click here for more**.*

With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, the director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health said rising COVID-19 cases are stressing hospital capacity and she’s urging the public to reduce “non-essential” activities for the time being.

That includes limiting gatherings such as parties and weddings, which she said have been common sources for what she said is “pretty substantial community transmission” in Cobb County.

In a videotaped message posted Friday by Cobb County Government (see below), Dr. Janet Memark said hospitals are at near capacity with new COVID-related admissions—up nearly 20 percent in recent weeks—and there’s only one critical care bed left.

“These are very dangerous times for us,” said Memark, who didn’t provide any hospital figures. “The weather is going to get colder and we’re moving inside and there’s increased travel.”

She said citizens “know what works”—wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing—but “we should try to do our best and not go out and do too many things that are not essential at this point.”

She recommended against eating out in crowded places and going to bars, because along with weddings and other social gatherings, “that is where we are having the transmission.”

On Friday, there were 186 new reported cases of COVID-19 in Cobb, continuing a rising trend in November.

For the month, there have been 2,453 new cases in the county, for an average of 122 a day. Since March, Cobb has 25,178 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Cobb also has 487 deaths, the second-most in Georgia, and 26 have been reported this month.

That data is according to the date that cases and deaths are reported to the Georgia Department of Public Health. Its daily status report is issued in the afternoon.

In East Cobb, there have been 5,319 COVID-19 cases and 102 deaths as of Nov. 9, according to a ZIP Code map compiled by Commissioner Bob Ott.

Another set of metrics—date of “onset,” or when a positive COVID case is confirmed, and date of death—also is on the rise in Cobb.

The 14-day moving average of cases according to date of onset (in the chart at the top) was 115 a day as of Nov. 7. After a summer surge of cases, that figure had dropped to 37 a day in late September.

Another indicator used to monitor community spread is a 14-day average of cases per 100,000 people. That now stands at 271—100 is considered “high community spread”—and it has been a figure Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale relied on earlier in the school year regarding reopening.

But he told Cobb Board of Education members this week “there are no metrics” in determining classroom or school closures, and that each situation will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

There have been no closures since Cobb students opting for face-to-face learning returned to schools.

On Friday, the Cobb County School District reported 106 new COVID cases among teachers and staff, and 105 the week before that.

Of the 721 cases reported in the district since July 1, 434 have come since students began returning to school.

Memark has said that she’s not seeing transmission in the schools—a point Ragsdale also made to the school board—but she said students going to school and adults going to work who are sick “is happening way too often, and it is going to be a major problem for everybody.”

She said that the schools will continue to be “disrupted by this,” and urged parents to determine what environment is best for their children.

Cobb school district parents have until Nov. 29 to decide learning options for the spring semester, although another choice window could open in the spring.

Across the country, Memark said only three states are not seeing surges in new COVID-19 cases.

“If you have people who are medically fragile or are coming from areas that have very high rates like us, you’re definitely at risk of exposure or exposing others to COVID at this time,” she said.

There have been nearly 400,000 reported COVID-19 cases in Georgia and 8,591 deaths. Since last Sunday, there have been 11,477 cases reported according to date of report, and 5,232 according to date of onset.

In that time, there have been 144 deaths reported according to date of report and 49 by date of death in Georgia.

More COVID-19 information and resources from Cobb and Douglas Public Health can be found here.

ARC: 13% of Cobb residents lost jobs/furloughed since COVID

November 18, 2020 4:40 PM by Wendy Parker

Submitted information:

13% of Cobb County residents who were employed before the pandemic were laid-off, terminated, or furloughed due to the COVID-19 virus, and 14% of residents have received help from a food bank since March, according to the Atlanta Regional Commission’s 2020 Metro Atlanta Speaks Survey, released today [Nov. 13] at the agency’s virtual State of the Region Breakfast.

These were among findings from new survey questions that gauged how the pandemic and related economic downturn has affected the Atlanta region. Highlights include:

42% of all responding said that they either had hours or waged reduced or had to quit for safety reasons.

Half of Cobb residents said they knew someone who had contracted COVID-19.

43% of Cobb workers said they had worked from home as a result of the pandemic — the highest percentage of any of metro Atlanta’s ten counties.

This year’s survey also provided insights into the state of race relations in metro Atlanta, a topic that drew heightened attention during this summer’s demonstrations. On a new question this year, 71% of Cobb residents either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: “Discrimination against Black people in the United States is a serious problem.”

Other Cobb highlights included:

Residents named public health (18%) the biggest problem facing the region, followed by crime (17%).

11% of Cobb residents are only slightly or not at all confident in their ability to make their next mortgage or rent payment.

28% of Cobb residents wouldn’t be able to cover a $400 financial emergency could do so only by selling something or borrowing money or didn’t know how they would pay.

Regional Results:

One in four respondents said they had been laid-off, terminated, or furloughed because of the virus.

Nearly half (45%) of responses indicated they’d experienced reduced hours or wages or had to quit their jobs for safety reasons.

Nearly 1 in 5 (18%) received help from a food bank since March.

Nearly 58% said they knew someone who had contracted COVID-19.

One-third of respondents said they had worked from home as a result of the pandemic.

Nearly 12% of survey respondents named race relations as the region’s biggest concern, compared to just 4% in 2019. And more than three-quarters of respondents (77%) either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: “Discrimination against Black people in the United States is a serious problem.”

Race relations is a particular issue of concern to young adults ages 18-34, the survey showed. Among respondents in this age group, 90% said they agreed or strongly agreed that discrimination against Black people is a serious problem, compared to 64% of those age 65 and older.

“This year’s Metro Atlanta Speaks Survey demonstrates how the pandemic and related economic fallout have exacerbated long-standing disparities in our community,” said Doug Hooker, Executive Director of the Atlanta Regional Commission. “Now, more than ever, we need to come together, actively listen to one another, and forge solutions to act upon, so we can build bridges of understanding and pathways toward progress, which create a region that works for all residents.”

The 2020 survey, conducted by Kennesaw State University’s A.L. Burruss Institute of Public Service and Research, asked questions of 4,400 people across 10 counties about key quality-of-life issues. Survey results are statistically valid for each of those 10 counties and the city of Atlanta, with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.5% for the 10-county region as a whole and plus or minus 3.8% to 5% for the individual jurisdictions.

The Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta is a supporter of the 2020 Metro Atlanta Speaks survey.

For additional information about the 2020 survey, including county level results, please visit atlantaregional.org/metroatlantaspeaks.

East Cobb resident serves ‘Lasagna Love’ for COVID families

November 23, 2020 6:32 PMNovember 17, 2020 1:00 PM by Wendy Parker

Lasagna Love East Cobb

Kirsten Glaser, newly relocated to East Cobb, jumped into help feed families impacted by COVID soon after moving here in the summer, and now heads the “Lasagna Love” program in Georgia.

It’s a nationwide effort of volunteers who prepare home-cooked meals not just for those medically and financially rocked by the pandemic, but also for health care workers, first responders and teachers. She explains how she got cooking for this cause and how you can get involved or order a meal if you need one:

“My husband and I moved to East Cobb in June from New York. We’re both young, active business professionals that thrive on social interaction. Moving to a new state and starting a new job during a pandemic halted our ability to quickly make new friends and even meet our new colleagues.

“It didn’t seem to matter how many Netflix shows we watched, banana breads I baked, or long walks we’d take with our dog, I still felt bored and most importantly, not connected to our new community.

“On September 28, I saw a story on The Today Show which struck a chord with me immediately. Lasagna Love is a movement started by Rhiannon Menn in May. She, too, was searching for some way to help those around her. Her lone effort of making lasagnas for her neighbors in need has now become a full blown movement in 47 states with 3,000 volunteers and over 6,000 families served as of today.

“I knew that this was what not only I needed but a way I could immerse myself into my new community, so I signed up to become a Lasagna Mama. I quickly received a response that I was the first in my area and was asked if I wanted to be the Regional Leader. Not knowing what this meant, I accepted the task.

“Each week, we receive requests from families who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19; this might be financial, medical or emotional. We are now reaching out to healthcare professionals, first responders and teachers who are under greater stress than ever because of the pandemic.

“I match our Lasagna Mamas and Papas (volunteers) to these families to receive a home-cooked meal. Some Mamas and Papas make just lasagna and some provide other entrees and full meals. Each of us does what we can without judgment.

“I now co-lead Lasagna Love for the entire state of Georgia and we currently have over 100 active volunteers! Each week I spend many hours matching mamas and papas to families as well as cooking lasagnas and delivering in addition to my full-time job. And I’ve never felt more fulfilled. This has given me an opportunity to connect with my neighbors, make new friendships with the Lasagna Mamas, as well as help those in our community in need.

“With the upcoming holiday season, Lasagna Love hopes to ease some stress and bring some joy to the families that are served as well as to the army of volunteers.

“For more info visit: lasagnalove.org. You can sign up to become a Lasagna Mama or Papa or request/nominate a meal.”

Cases surge as East Cobb COVID numbers reach milestones

November 3, 2020 7:08 PMNovember 3, 2020 11:48 AM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb COVID cases — *To click details of each ZIP code and to view a similar map of COVID deaths in Cobb, **click here**.*

By the end of October, 96 deaths from COVID-19 had been reported in East Cobb ZIP codes, and there have been 5,000 confirmed cases of the virus.

Data compiled by Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott and the Georgia Department of Health reflect another rise in the rate of confirmed COVID cases as colder weather approaches.

As of Monday afternoon, there were 22,430 confirmed cases in Cobb County and 460 deaths.

The latter is the second-highest figure in Georgia, as it’s been for a while, with Fulton County having 628 deaths.

What’s causing renewed concern is a resurgence of what public health officials call “community spread.”

When we last posted in early September about those metrics—used by the Cobb County School District to determine when, and how, to reopen for classes—Cobb had just ducked under the “high community spread” designation.

That’s a 14-day average of 100 cases per 100,000 or less, after Cobb’s number was nearly 400 during the summer spike and prompted the Cobb school district’s decision to start the school year online-only.

But that dipping point hasn’t lasted long.

As of Tuesday, Cobb’s 14-day average is now 151 cases per 100,000, and that’s a jump from around 120 just last week.

(You can read the Georgia DPH daily status report by clicking here; it’s updated daily at 3 p.m.)

The above map breaks down COVID cases by ZIP Code, and was last updated Oct. 31. Ott said he’s doing this once a week because the numbers don’t change that much.

You can click here to get more details and to switch to a COVID deaths map that also shows COVID data in long-term care homes.

Here’s what those numbers look like in East Cobb for the moment:

30062: 1,499 cases, 23 deaths
30066: 1,364 cases, 24 deaths
30067: 1,336 cases, 15
30068: 741 cases, 32
30075: 154 cases, 2 deaths

The Cobb school district provides a weekly update of COVID cases, and last week there were nine schools in East Cobb where staff or students had confirmed cases.

By early September the 7-day moving average of cases in Cobb County began to drop, going by what’s called “date of onset.” That’s data showing the date of a confirmed case, not the day it was reported.

That average (seen in the yellow line below) fell from 108 to 55 by the end of September, and as of Oct. 20 is at 68.4. Onset numbers since that 14-day window are considered preliminary and are occasionally updated with later reports.

Cobb COVID Cases 7-day average onset 11.3.20 — *To view more details from the Georgia DPH daily status report, **click here**.*

Similar data from Georgia DPH about deaths in Cobb County shows a similar pattern. In late September, the 7-day moving average of deaths according to the date of death had reached zero, after being as high as 4.9 in July.

As of Oct. 20, that 7-day figure was 0.6, after having been at 1.1 on Oct. 7.

As has been the case since the summer, the vast majority of confirmed COVID-19 cases are being reported between the ages of 18-59 (as shown below, with data compiled by Ott).

Cobb COVID cases by age 11.3.20

A little deeper into the numbers among the youngest ones, with some school-age breakdowns:

There have been 213 cases between 0-4 years old; 306 cases between 5-9 years old; and 1,097 cases between 10-17 years old.

Only two deaths have been reported in Cobb between the ages of 0-17 years old.

The deaths remain overwhelmingly among those who are older and/or who have multiple serious health issues.

Of the 460 deaths in Cobb, 340 are among those ages 70 and older, and 384 had known comorbidities.

Cobb COVID deaths by age 11.3.20

On Tuesday Georgia will reach another milestone. As of Monday there have been 7,999 COVID-19 deaths in the state, and 362,921 cases.

Cobb County Government also has its own COVID hub with data, maps and other details of deaths, cases, hospitalization and demographic information relating to the virus.

Georgia public health emergency extended through Nov. 9

October 1, 2020 1:40 PM by Wendy Parker

Kemp lifting shelter-in-place order

Gov. Brian Kemp has again extended a public health emergency in Georgia first ordered in March, and is continuing certain safety precautions related to COVID-19 mitigation.

On Wednesday he extended the public health emergency for another month, through Nov. 9, that sets provisions to enhance coordinated response from government and the public sector for supplies, testing and health care capacity.

The “Empowering a Healthy Georgia” provision goes through Oct. 16 and “continues to require social distancing, bans gatherings of more than 50 people unless there is six feet between each person, outlines mandatory criteria for businesses, and requires sheltering in place for those living in long-term care facilities and the medically fragile, among other provisions.”

Those orders were set to expire at midnight Thursday.

One of the changes in the new order allows restaurant employees who have tested positive for the virus to return to work if they are symptom-free for 24 hours. Previously, that period was three days.

Georgia has had 318,026 COVID cases as of Wednesday, and 7,021 deaths. In Cobb County, there have been 19,740 cases and 427 deaths.

But the rate of new cases has dropped steadily since the summer. Cobb County now has a 14-day average of 126 cases per 100,000. Public health officials consider 100 cases per 100,000 “high community spread.”

In Cobb County, public health officials continue to urge citizens to observe hand-washing, mask-wearing and social distancing practices.

They’re also suggesting that people get flu shots before the winter sets in, and that people aged 65 and over get pneumonia shots.

Of Cobb’s COVID 427 deaths, nearly 75 percent have been people 70 or older, and nearly 94 percent have been 50 and older. Eighty-two percent of those who have died have had known underlying health conditions regardless of age.

Cobb COVID case counts falling close to spread threshold

September 23, 2020 6:44 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb COVID case counts fall

For the last two months the rate of new COVID-19 cases has been falling steadily in Cobb County.

After high spikes during the early summer in the number of cases, test positivity rates and other metrics, those numbers have reached levels that public health officials have targeted for reopening of schools, among other things.

Cobb is closing on 20,000 cases, with 19,283 as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

That’s the third-highest total in the state, trailing Fulton County (27,247) and Gwinnett County (26,931). Cobb’s death count of 423 is second only to 568 in Fulton County.

But the downward shift in slowing the spread of the virus is one of the more encouraging trends in Georgia.

The chart above is the Cobb case progression according to the date of onset (meaning the day a positive test was confirmed).

Compared to the single-day high in terms of seven-day moving average of 296 on July 11, that rolling total was down to 79 as of Sept. 9, two weeks ago from today.

Georgia DPH issues a 14-day rolling average line (at the far right in the graphic above), indicating that data in that window is likely to be added due to lags in reporting.

One of the key metrics noted by Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale in his decision to phase in classroom return starting in October is the cases per 100,000 people figure.

The Cobb Geographic Information Systems unit released the graphic below earlier Wednesday showing another steep drop in that figure.

Cobb GIS COVID 140-day per 100k chart

Public health advisors have said that anything more than a 14-day average of 100 cases or more per 100,000 is considered high community spread.

When Ragsdale announced the Cobb schools reopening, he said he was aiming for an average of between 100 and 200.

After Cobb’s two-week rolling number topped out close to 500 in early August (noted on blue line) it’s now down to 146 per 100,000.

That’s a trend that’s occurring through metro Atlanta and a good portion of the state.

At Tuesday’s Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting, Chairman Mike Boyce noted the numbers and thanked Cobb citizens for doing their part to slow the spread of the virus.

He has been reluctant to issue a mask mandate, but asked citizens to continue following what he has called a “nice mask ask,” as well as regular hand-washing and physical distancing practices.

Some Georgia cities and counties have imposed mask mandates, but Gov. Brian Kemp has not made a statewide edict. The current hot spots with high averages of cases per 100,000 people are in various rural areas.

A total of 309,678 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Georgia, with 6,773 deaths.

Those include 1,577 cases and 98 deaths reported on Wednesday. Cobb reported 95 new cases and no new deaths.

Another positive metric for Cobb is a drop in the percentage of positive tests. On Wednesday, for the first time since early June, that number in the county was five percent. Anything over that is considered is a high figure according to public health officials.

In Cobb that seven-day moving average topped out around 30 percent in late March and was in double figures until mid-July.

The Cobb and Douglas Public Health agency updates those and other county figures, including the pie chart below breaking down Cobb COVID cases by age group.

While more than three-quarters of those who have died in Cobb are 70 and older, the biggest age groups with positive tests are younger.

Cobb cases by age CDPH 9.23.20

Cobb COVID deaths top 400; nearly 20 percent in East Cobb

September 5, 2020 2:43 PM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb COVID deaths — *To view details by ZIP code, **click here**. Source: Cobb and Douglas Public Health*

Although the rate of positive COVID-19 cases in Cobb County has been falling since its mid-July peak, the county crossed an unwelcome threshold on Friday, with more than 400 reported deaths due to the virus.

The Georgia Department of Public Health on Friday reported that 401 people have died in Cobb, the second-highest county total in the state, following Fulton County, which has 535 deaths.

Cobb County also has 17,476 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 104 more reported on Friday.

Those figures are according to the date of report and not the date of “onset,” or the date which an individual learns of a positive test for the virus.

That latter distinction is of importance regarding the reopening of the Cobb County School District. Superintendent Chris Ragsdale announced Thursday that the phased return to classroom instruction will start on Oct. 5, given the dropping average of cases per 100,000 people.

At one point that 14-day average was nearly 400 cases per 100,000 (100 cases per 100,000 is considered high community spread). Now, according to Georgia DPH, Cobb’s average of cases per 100,000 over the last two weeks is 219.

*Cobb COVID deaths by the date of death, per Georgia DPH. **Click here** for details.*

The number of cases and deaths in East Cobb is about one-fifth of the county total, according to the latest figures from Cobb and Douglas Public Health.

According to the ZIP Code map seen at the top (click here to view more information), 78 deaths have been reported in East Cobb, which has 3,866 positive COVID-19 cases.

That comes to 19.4 percent of the deaths and 22 percent of the cases in Cobb County.

It’s been a couple months since we last broke this down, in early July, when the case peak began.

On July 3, there were 1,034 cases and 41 deaths in East Cobb. Here’s how those numbers look today, with the July figures in parenthesis:

30062: 1,143 cases, 21 deaths (297, 12)
30066: 1,007 cases, 18 deaths (241, 9)
30067: 1,043 cases, 11 deaths (317, 8)
30068: 590 cases, 28 deaths (155, 16)
30075: 83 cases, 0 deaths (24, 0)

According to the latest figures from the Georgia Department of Community Health, 29 of those 78 deaths have taken place in long-term care homes.

In August we reported that for the most part, case and death numbers in those facilities have held relatively steady since the COVID-19 outbreak began in March. An exception is the Manor Care Rehab Center on Johnson Ferry Place, which in June and July reported three deaths and more than 30 staff cases.

As of this week, three more deaths have been reported at Manor Care, and a total of 38 employees have tested positive.

Hospitalization numbers that concerned public health officials also have gone down in recent weeks.

*To view a larger map and more data, **click here**. Source: GEMA*

Cobb is in Region N with Douglas, Paulding and Cherokee counties, as shown above in the latest situation report by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.

GEMA is no longer updating that information, but Georgia DPH instead is moving some of that data into its expanded public Georgia COVID-19 status dashboard.

As of Friday, a total of 5,931 people in Georgia have died from COVID-19, and 279,354 have tested positive.

Cobb County Government also has its own COVID hub with data, maps and other details of deaths, cases, hospitalization and demographic information relating to the virus.

Cobb one-year-old is youngest COVID-19 death in Georgia

August 29, 2020 1:08 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb one-year-old COVID death — *Age breakdowns of Cobb COVID deaths before a 1-year-old boy’s death was reported Friday: Burnt Orange 70-79 119; Yellow 80-89 110; Yellow 90+ 61; Green 60-69 49; Beige 18-59 48. Source: Cobb GIS.*

Before Friday, Cobb County had reported only one death of a person under the age of 20 due to COVID-19.

But a one-year-old boy with a pre-existing health condition was included in Friday’s reported deaths by the Georgia Department of Public Health, making him the youngest victim in the state of a virus that has now claimed 387 lives in Cobb.

The only other information about the boy was that he was African-American, according to Georgia Health News, which also reported that more than 4,000 children under age 4 in the state have been infected, and that Georgia has a COVID-19 case rate for children that’s higher than the national average.

Prior to the one-year-old’s death, the youngest Cobb COVID fatality had been a 19-year-old male whose race was unknown, according to figures compiled by Cobb County government’s GIS office.

While Cobb has seen a spike, along with the rest of Georgia, in confirmed cases of the virus this summer, especially among younger age groups, the deaths are still occurring mostly among older and unhealthier populations.

GIS figures through Friday show that roughly 75 percent of the Cobb COVID deaths have been people 70 and older (as shown in the pie chart above).

At least 311 of Cobb’s 387 deaths have been people who had at least one underlying health issue, or a comorbidity, while 47 have not. The comorbidity status of 29 other victims is unknown.

A total of 48 people each in the 60-69 age range and the 18-59 age range have died in Cobb County, which has the second-highest death total in Georgia. Fulton County now has 503 reported deaths.

The age groups with the highest number of confirmed cases in Cobb continue to be between 20-60. A total of 1,846 cases have been reported for youths 20 and under, while the oldest age groups have the fewest number of cases.

The rising case figures over the summer prompted Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale to start the school year online. Cobb now has 16,630 positive cases, but he’s reluctant to give a date for students returning to school.

The key metric he’s looking at is a 14-day average of cases per 100,000 people, with anything over 100 cases considered high community spread. As of Friday, Cobb’s 14-day average is 227.

That figure had been well above 300 cases per 100,000, and Ragsdale said he was aiming for an average between 100-200 cases before deciding to allow a return to classroom learning.

Georgia has 265,372 confirmed COVID cases and 5,471 deaths. On Friday, Georgia DPH reported 2,383 more cases and 79 additional deaths.

But date-of-onset and date-of-death figures—as opposed to when cases and deaths are reported—have been on a downward trend in the state and Cobb since mid-July and early August, respectively.

Nine more COVID-19 deaths reported in Cobb; cases top 15,000

August 22, 2020 5:56 PMAugust 18, 2020 6:15 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb COVID cases deaths — *A Cobb GIS map shows darker shades with more cases; the blue icons are school locations. To view details **click here**.*

UPDATE: As of Saturday, Cobb had 15,861 cases and 368 deaths.

Nine more deaths from COVID-19 were reported in Cobb on Tuesday—three of them in East Cobb—as the overall number of confirmed cases of the virus in the county surpassed the 15,000 mark.

As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, the Georgia Department of Public Health daily update noted that Cobb County had 15,106 cases of COVID-19, the fourth-highest of any county in Georgia.

Cobb’s case count grew by 124, and the county now has reported 349 deaths—some of which date back to July—a figure that’s second to 477 fatalities in Fulton County.

Across Georgia, 2,873 more cases were reported, for 241,677 overall. Georgia also added 69 more deaths for 4,794, with the backlog dating back to July.

Cobb and Douglas Public Health has mapped out some of that data by ZIP Code that we’ve been updating in recent weeks, and you can view the latest details here. In East Cobb, those numbers as of Tuesday total 3,288 cases and 69 deaths:

30062: 969 cases, 18 deaths;
30067: 920 cases, 10 deaths;
30066: 881 cases, 17 deaths;
30068: 504 cases, 24 deaths;
30075: 64 cases, 0 deaths.

As we noted in a story posted earlier today, more than 40 percent of those deaths have taken place in long-term care homes. The three new deaths reported from East Cobb today include two in ZIP Code 30066 and one in 30068, but none were in those facilities, according to figures posted by the Georgia Department of Community Health.

A key metric that local school officials are looking at in terms of preparing for a return to classroom learning is community spread. Georgia DPH has been adding some ways to look at that data, including cases per 100,000 people over time and during a rolling 14-day window.

GA Covid Cases 100K 14-day windown 8.18.20 — *To view county-by-county data on cases per 100,000 population **click here**.*

Anything above 100 cases per 100,000 people is considered “significant community spread.” According to Tuesday’s data, Cobb has been averaging 342 cases per 100,000 over the last two weeks, while the county’s overall figure has been 1,908 cases per 1000,000.

Significantly higher numbers of cases per 100,000 are being reported in recent weeks in more rural counties in south Georgia, as seen on the state map above (click here for more details).

A more recent Georgia DPH calculation provides seven-day moving average figures according to the “date of onset” of a positive case, as shown in the yellow line in the graph below. That phrase refers to the day a case is confirmed as positive, and not the day it was reported.

Something else being looked at closely is the case positivity rate, which means the percentage of confirmed cases compared to the numbers of people tested. Anything more than 5 percent is considered high.

In Cobb County, that figure had caused some concern when it reached 14 percent last month, and stayed in double figures a few weeks.

But since that 14.2 percent peak on July 23, the county’s test positivity rate has fallen to 5.4 percent, and the seven-day moving day overage of 6 is the lowest since early June.

*To view details of Cobb’s seven-day moving average COVID case figures, **click here**.*

East Cobb long-term care homes holding steady on COVID cases

August 18, 2020 11:14 AM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb longt-term care homes, Manor Care — *Four resident deaths have been reported since July at Manor Care on Johnson Ferry Place, including one last week. (ECN photos)*

The number of COVID cases has been soaring in Cobb County since the month of July, and new outbreaks have been reported in some long-term care homes in Georgia.

Most of those facilities in East Cobb have reported minimal cases and deaths during that time. An exception is the HCR Manor Care Rehabilitation Center on Johnson Ferry Place.

Some closed voluntarily in March, before Gov. Brian Kemp issued a shelter-in-place order and dispatched the Georgia National Guard to test residents and employees.

While many new cases in Cobb and Georgia are occurring in much younger age groups, elderly people and those living in long-term care homes still make up a sizable percentage of the hospitalizations and fatalities.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, 3,961 of Georgia’s 4,727 deaths, or 83 percent, have been people aged 60 and older. The Georgia Department of Community Health reported Monday that 1,995 people have died in long-term care homes, 41 percent of the statewide death toll.

Long-term care homes include nursing homes, assisted living facilities, personal-care homes and memory-care units.

Those trends are reflected at the local level. In Cobb, 143 of the county’s 340 deaths—second in Georgia, only to Fulton—have been in long-term care homes, or 42 percent of the totals.

In East Cobb, 66 people have died from the virus, and 29 of them, or 44 percent, were living in long-term care homes, according to Cobb County government’s Geographic Information System office.

Those figures are from late last week, and a map of the long-term care home deaths is updated here, and is shown in the icons on the map below.

East Cobb COVID LTC map 8.17.20 — *You can view the zip codes and the long-term care icons seen above for death data **by clicking here**.*

Alto Senior Living on LeCroy Road, near Roswell Road and Robinson Road West, has reported eight deaths, according to the Georgia DCH, which has issued a weekly update on cases, deaths and tests since the crisis began. Those figures come directly from the entities that operate the long-term care homes.

That’s the highest number for any long-term care home in East Cobb, although none of those have been reported since the summer.

(The long-term care report is now issued daily, and you can see the latest report by clicking here.)

Six residents have died at the A.G. Rhodes senior-living home on Wylie Road, and five at Sterling Estates East Cobb, but at both facilities none since the spring.

HCR Manor Care operates more than 500 skilled nursing homes and rehabilitation centers across the country. At the end of June, its East Cobb facility, which currently has 72 residents, had reported nine resident cases and no deaths.

But during July, three residents died there and the number of positive resident cases had grown to 34. That number is now at 53, and a total of 34 positive cases also were reported among Manor Care employees, according to state figures on Monday.

Julie Beckert, a spokeswoman for Manor Care, did not elaborate on the deaths, but said the increase in positive cases is due to a significant boost in testing.

Monday’s Georgia DCH figures show that 184 residents at the Manor Care East Cobb location have been tested, and 186 at the Manor Care facility in Decatur.

Beckert said Manor Care has done “whole-house testing” and that over “the last several weeks,” 63 patients have tested positive and many were asymptomatic. Beckert didn’t indicate how many, and “unfortunately, we lost six patients due in part to COVID-19.”

That includes another death at Manor Care in East Cobb reported last week two deaths at the Manor Care facility in Decatur, according to Georgia DCH figures.

She said 39 employees tested positive in recent weeks, with 24 recoveries and 15 staffers on self-quarantine.

The AJC reported last month about a major outbreak at the Dunwoody Health and Rehabilitation Center, which went from zero to 15 deaths and nearly 100 positive resident cases since the end of June. The Sandy Springs facility has 240 residents.

East Cobb long-term care homes, Alto Senior Living — *8 deaths have been reported at Alto Senior Living in East Cobb, most of them earlier in the outbreak.*

As of Monday, here are the latest COVID-19 figures for long-term care homes in East Cobb:

A.G. Rhodes Home Cobb, 900 Wylie Road (30067): 6 resident deaths, 26 positive resident cases, 19 resident recoveries, 9 positive staff cases;
Alto Senior Living Marietta, 840 LeCroy Drive (30068): 8 resident deaths, 23 positive resident cases, 14 resident recoveries, 3 positive staff cases;
Arbor Terrace of East Cobb, 886 Johnson Ferry Road (30068): 3 resident deaths, 7 positive resident cases, 1 resident recovery, 15 positive staff cases;
Heritage of Sandy Plains, 3039 Sandy Plains Road (30066): 0 resident deaths, 0 positive resident cases, 0 resident recoveries, 3 positive staff cases;
Manor Care Rehabilitation Center, 4360 Johnson Ferry Place (30068): 4 resident deaths, 53 positive resident cases, 53 resident recoveries, 34 positive staff cases;
The Solana East Cobb, 1032 Johnson Ferry Road (30068): 0 resident deaths, 0 positive resident cases, 0 resident recoveries, 7 positive staff cases;
Sterling Estates East Cobb, 4220 Lower Roswell Road (30068): 5 resident deaths, 13 positive resident cases, 6 resident recoveries, 0 positive staff cases;
Sunrise of East Cobb, 1551 Johnson Ferry Road (30062): 1 resident death, 4 positive resident cases, 3 resident recoveries, 2 positive staff cases.

Beckert said among the additional measures Manor Care has taken is to conduct regular temperature checks of residents (with a threshold of 99 degrees to address possible changes in condition). It’s also created an “airborne isolation unit” to treat higher-risk patients, with dedicated personal protective equipment and special cleaning, disposal and sanitizing measures.

Additional barriers also have been installed to protect other residents and employees from infection, she said.

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