Georgia public health emergency extended

For the fifth time, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has extended a statewide public health emergency he first declared in March.

His latest extension expired at midnight Saturday, and Kemp has now extended that until 11:59 p.m. Sept. 10.

Kemp also extended another executive order that restricts public gatherings of more than 50 people without social distancing measures (at least six feet between persons), outlines mandatory criteria for businesses and requires the medically fragile to shelter-in-place.

That order continues through Aug. 15.

“As our state ramps up testing, expands hospital surge capacity, and provides staffing, supplies, and resources to cities and counties throughout Georgia, we urge local officials to enforce the rules and restrictions detailed in these orders,” Kemp said in a statement.

Kemp’s extended orders come at the end of a month with around half of all of Georgia’s confirmed COVID-19 cases having occurred and with growing concerns about hospitalizations due to the virus.

On Friday another 4,149 cases were reported by the Georgia Department of Public Health, for 186,236 in all. At the end of June, there were 104,423 cases in Georgia.

In Cobb County, there were 6,329 cases in July, 56 percent of all of the county’s cases since tracking began in February. The county’s current total is 11,206, up from 4,877 on June 30.

Another 286 cases were reported in Cobb on Friday, the fourth day in a row in which at least 200 cases were reported.

Cobb’s death total stands at 297, which is unchanged from Tuesday.

UPDATED, Saturday, 4:30 p.m.:

Georgia’s COVID case on Saturday afternoon was 190,012, up by 3,709 from Friday, and 3,825 deaths. Another 308 new hospitalizations also were reported.

Cobb’s case total is up to 11,436, up 236 from Friday, with a new death reported, bringing that total to 298.

A total of 2,851 new cases have been reported in Cobb the last two weeks.

ORIGINAL REPORT CONTINUES:

But critical-care hospital beds in the Cobb area are in short supply. According to the latest COVID Situation Report issued by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (read it here), only 14 critical-care bends are remaining, out of 226, for the region that includes Cobb, Douglas, Paulding and Cherokee counties.

Hospitalizations also have grown during July, and GEMA reports that there are 3,155 people currently admitted for COVID-19 across the state; but those don’t include figures for Cobb, and Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.

Kemp has announced that a surge hospital will be opened at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta on Monday. It will start with a capacity of 60 and could hold up to 120 patients.

Related Content

• Cobb COVID deaths approach 300; cases surpass 10,000
• Editor’s Note: Trying to make sense of Cobb’s COVID-19 numbers
• The East Cobb Open for Business Directory
• East Cobb News COVID-19 Resource Page

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

With a significant rise in COVID-19 cases in Georgia in recent weeks, Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday extended the state’s public health emergency for a third time.

The current declaration was to have expired on Tuesday, but in a new executive order Kemp on Monday said he was extending it to Aug. 11 (you can read it here).

In another executive order on Monday, Kemp banned public gatherings of 50 people or more unless they can keep at least six feet apart and imposed other social distancing restrictions. Those requirements include regular and in some cases increased sanitizing measures.

“As we continue our fight against COVID-19 in Georgia, it is vital that Georgians continue to heed public health guidance by wearing a mask, washing their hands regularly, and practicing social distancing,” Kemp said in a statement. “We have made decisions throughout the pandemic to protect the lives —and livelihoods—of all Georgians by relying on data and the advice of public health officials.”

The social distancing order, which begins on Wednesday and continues through July 15 (you can read it here) outlines mandatory criteria for businesses and requires those living in long-term care facilities and the medically fragile to continue to shelter in place.

Georgia has had a record number of COVID-19 cases reported for three days running, with 2,207 positive tests on Monday, and a relatively high positivity rate (number of positive cases to the number of tests) of 13.4 percent.

(The Georgia Department of Public Health COVID Daily Status Report is updated every day at 3 p.m.)

On Sunday, the new positive cases statewide totaled 2,225, and the seven-day average of 2,207 over the last week is 60 percent higher than the previous week.

The number of COVID-related deaths in Georgia is 2,784, a mortality rate of 0.2 percent and that represents 3.5 percent of the 79,417 confirmed cases.

The death rate has flattened out in recent weeks, with six new deaths being reported since Sunday, and the hospitalization rate in Georgia also is holding steady, with 113 more reports of a cumulative total of 10,824.

In Cobb County, there have been 4,713 cases in all, and last week (June 22-28) a record 685 cases were reported.

On June 20, there were a reported 108 new cases in Cobb, a single-day high. Another 83 cases were reported last Monday. By Saturday there were 34 new cases, and Monday’s total is nine more than Sunday.

The test positivity rate in Cobb is 5.74 percent, according to Cobb and Douglas Public Health, which publishes its own daily tracking data.

Cobb has the second-highest death total in the state, with 242 fatalities, though none were reported on Monday.

Kemp also is embarking on a statewide tour to encourage people to wear masks in public, but unlike governors in other states, he is not mandating it.

Related Content

• More than 40 COVID deaths reported in East Cobb
• The East Cobb Open for Business Directory
• East Cobb News COVID-19 Resource Page

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!