x
Breaking News
More () »

Coronavirus in Georgia on May 6

There have now been more than 30,000 cases in the state.

ATLANTA — Below is an archive

--

The Georgia Department of Health announced new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. As of 7 p.m., there are 30,737 confirmed cases of the virus and 1,317 deaths reported. Scroll to read more.

Visit the 11Alive coronavirus page for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about Georgia specifically, learn more about the symptoms, and keep tabs on the cases around the world here. Have a question? Text it to us at 404-885-7600.

RELATED: 'Sensational' Forbes article about Georgians' risk for COVID-19 deleted after raising concerns

State and federal officials with the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are continually monitoring the spread of the virus. They are also working hand-in-hand with the World Health Organization to track the spread around the world and to stop it.

Key Facts: 

  • There have been 1,317 deaths reported in Georgia, with the state's earliest reported death on March 5. That's an increase of 12 deaths since the noon report, and 23 since this time last night.
  • There are now 30,737 cases confirmed in Georgia, with the state's earliest reported case on Feb. 1. That's an increase of 175 cases from noon and 898 more cases from this time last night.
  • There have been 5,785 total patients hospitalized in Georgia during the pandemic
  • Gov. Brian Kemp's statewide shelter-in-place order expired at midnight April 30. However, his order for the elderly and medically-fragile remains in effect until June 12.
  • All public schools in Georgia closed through the end of the school year
  • Public Health Emergency remains in effect until June 12

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

12 more deaths, 175 additional cases of coronavirus confirmed since noon report

State data shows that 12 more people have died from the coronavirus since the public health department released its noon report. There were 175 additional cases reported, as well.

As of 7 p.m. Wednesday, there were 1,317 deaths reported, and 30,737 confirmed cases of the virus.

Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb and Hall are now reporting the most cases of the virus, though DeKalb now has a higher rate of cases per 100,000 people for metro Atlanta counties.

COUNTY - CASES - DEATHS

Fulton    3251    132

DeKalb    2357    59

Gwinnett    2222    81

Cobb    1999    105

Hall    1914    27

Dougherty    1555    126

Clayton    845    33

Henry    546    14

Cherokee    544    16

Richmond    429    15

Carroll    389    15

Sumter    385    29

Habersham    376    12

Bibb    367    14

Douglas    363    11

Bartow    359    32

Forsyth    356    10

Muscogee    348    11

Lee    338    22

Mitchell    336    31

Chatham    282    12

Houston    276    14

Baldwin    263    10

Coweta    247    4

Upson    245    23

Newton    232    8

Rockdale    223    7

Spalding    223    11

Early    220    25

Thomas    219    22

Paulding    212    10

Barrow    197    5

Colquitt    197    10

Terrell    193    21

Fayette    188    11

Crisp    178    6

Worth    175    12

Clarke    174    13

Columbia    170    5

Lowndes    170    4

Troup    168    5

Randolph    167    20

Butts    162    17

Coffee    159    8

Floyd    152    11

Ware    144    13

Walton    143    5

Tift    136    6

Whitfield    135    6

Dooly    133    11

Gordon    118    13

Jackson    117    3

Hancock    110    2

Calhoun    109    4

Decatur    105    2

Stephens    91    1

Wilcox    90    12

Burke    89    3

Gilmer    83    0

White    83    1

Macon    81    3

Appling    78    9

Grady    75    4

Dawson    72    1

Lumpkin    72    1

Turner    71    10

Laurens    70    1

Glynn    68    1

Oconee    67    0

Brooks    64    7

Johnson    64    2

Polk    64    0

Peach    61    2

Walker    61    0

Harris    60    2

Meriwether    59    1

Pierce    58    3

Bryan    57    4

Greene    55    5

Catoosa    52    0

Oglethorpe    51    3

Putnam    51    5

McDuffie    50    4

Washington    46    1

Bulloch    42    2

Wilkinson    41    2

Pike    40    2

Lamar    39    1

Liberty    39    0

Effingham    38    1

Marion    37    1

Toombs    37    3

Ben Hill    36    0

Monroe    35    4

Murray    35    1

Camden    34    1

Elbert    33    0

Fannin    33    1

Pulaski    33    1

Banks    32    0

Dodge    32    1

Seminole    32    2

Union    32    1

Cook    31    1

Haralson    31    2

Jones    31    0

Miller    30    0

Morgan    30    0

Bacon    29    1

Pickens    29    2

Baker    28    2

Telfair    28    0

Clay    27    3

Madison    27    1

Jasper    26    0

Stewart    26    0

Wilkes    26    0

Franklin    25    1

Talbot    24    1

Brantley    22    2

Emanuel    22    0

Jeff Davis    22    1

Bleckley    21    0

Irwin    20    1

Towns    20    1

Berrien    19    0

Crawford    19    0

Taylor    18    2

Atkinson    17    1

Dade    17    1

Jefferson    17    1

Jenkins    17    1

Clinch    16    0

Screven    16    1

Chattooga    15    2

Hart    15    0

Schley    15    1

Heard    14    1

Charlton    13    0

Rabun    13    1

Warren    13    0

Wayne    13    0

Chattahoochee    12    0

Lincoln    12    0

Lanier    10    1

Webster    10    2

Tattnall    9    0

Twiggs    8    0

Candler    7    0

Quitman    6    1

Echols    5    0

Evans    5    0

Long    5    0

McIntosh    5    0

Wheeler    5    0

Treutlen    4    0

Montgomery    2    0

Taliaferro    1    0

Unknown    528    0

Non-Georgia Resident    1017    18

Georgia still seeing growth in COVID-19 cases, CDC report shows

As the state continues to push on with reopening the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that while there are improvements in some parts of the state hit by the virus, there are some areas where the spread of the virus appears to be growing.

The new data, compiled for the CDC's report for the week of April 30, comes as Georgia relaxes restrictions on business operations and movement in the state. 

Read the full story here.

Photos show large crowds, employees working without masks at restaurants

Many viewers have reached out to 11Alive to say that restaurants don’t seem to be complying with the governor’s guidelines.

Many others also said they feel like restaurants aren't following the state's 39 guidelines. Viewers sent us photos showing people sitting close to each other and patios where people are congregating.

Credit: Submitted

The state's requirements include no more than ten patrons per 500 square feet of public space, all employees must wear face coverings at all times, there needs to be at least six feet of separation from seating to seating and no more than six people at a table.

Click to read the full story.

Gov. Kemp to address citizens on Thursday

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp will address the citizens of Georgia on Thursday, his office announced. Joining the governor will be Georgia Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey, Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency Director Homer Bryson, Georgia National Guard Adjutant General Tom Carden, and Augusta University President Dr. Brooks Keel.

The event will take place at 4 p.m. in the State Capitol and will be streamed live on 11Alive.com and on the 11Alive YouTube channel

Dragon Con still plans to move forward despite legislation regarding permits

Recent legislation by the Atlanta City Council amidst the coronavirus pandemic caught the attention of event organizers planning large gatherings this year.

The newly-passed legislation ratified the Department of Parks and Recreation and Mayor’s Office of Special Events to continue to not accept special events permits.

It says the offices "shall continue to accept no new applications for permits or sub-permits for or relating to events to be held in the City of Atlanta" and that if organizers for an event already have one on file, they will be automatically applied for a new one.

Dragon Con, currently scheduled Sept. 3-7, 2020, is one of the largest science fiction and fantasy conventions in the world and draws more than 80,000 attendees annually to downtown Atlanta.

Click here to read their response.

Cobb County to reopen parks

Cobb PARKS will reopen their outdoor facilities on Monday, May 11, they said on Wednesday. Trails and passive parks have already been open to the public, so this will reopen the remainder of the county's outdoor parks. Officials say the following restrictions will remain in place:

  • Playgrounds and restrooms at park facilities will remain closed.
  • No organized athletic activities will be allowed.
  • Park Rangers and PARKS personnel will monitor the parks to ensure park patrons maintain proper social distancing. Flagrant violations could result in the closure of part or all of that facility.
  • Indoor facilities, such as aquatic centers and arts centers, will remain closed.

Gwinnett Schools reverse course on plan to have teachers return

On Friday, May 1, Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) released its plan for employees to return to work following six weeks of online learning and working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

GCPS leaders received feedback on the plan from teachers and others who shared concerns about returning to schools, which led district leaders to adjust  the return-to-work sites plan.

Administrators, office staff, custodians and school nutrition program staff will continue, as planned, to return to campus. 

Teachers and other staff will no longer be required to report back to campus as previously announced. 

The district said principals will work with teachers and other staff to arrange times for them to return to the school to close down their classrooms or work spaces and complete other necessary tasks.

Read the full story.

Piedmont Healthcare launches 2 clinical trials to study COVID-19 breathing therapies

Peidmont Healthcare is leading a new effort aimed at lessening the impact of a patient's ability to breathe while battling COVID-19.

Dr. Amy Case, medical director of pulmonary and critical care research with Piedmont Healthcare, called two new clinical trials a possible silver lining.

The first trial is called "breathe." Researchers plan to use the drug Gimsilumab to target lung inflammation, which can flare up in severe COVID-19 cases. The goal of that trial is to decrease the instances of inflammation and minimize damage to the lungs. In the second trail, called Apex-19, the non-drug treatment would seek to improve breathing function by having patients lay on their stomachs during parts of the day to help increase their oxygen levels.

Read more.

Clayton County Public Schools to lease nearly 40,000 laptops for students

The Clayton County Board of Education unanimously voted earlier this week to approve a proposal to accelerate the district’s Extending Learning Beyond the Classroom initiative for the 2020-2021 school year.

The program’s acceleration will allow the district to lease 38,000 new Chromebooks for students in 3rd through 12th grades, a nearly $37 million investment over five years, the district said. 

As CCPS works to secure the devices for the 2020-2021 school year, the school system says it will focus additional funds from external organizations toward acquiring Wi-Fi devices for students without internet access, they said.

Numbers show DeKalb has more cases per 100K residents than Fulton

The Georgia Department of Health announced new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. As of Noon, there are 30,562 confirmed cases of the virus and 1,305 deaths reported. This is up from the 29,839 confirmed cases and 1,294 deaths that they announced on Tuesday evening.

RELATED: DeKalb working to protect citizens from COVID-19 in hardest-hit neighborhoods

Of the 30,562 confirmed cases, 3239 are in Fulton (294.67 per 100K residents), 2353 are in DeKalb (296.66 per 100K), 2198 are in Gwinnett (226.33 per 100K), 1981 are in Cobb (250.57 per 100K) and 1882 are in Hall (912.05 per 100K). Dougherty has 1554 cases (1728.49 cases per 100K). For a breakdown by county, view the 11Alive interactive map.

They said 5,709 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19.

COUNTY - CASES - CASES PER 100K - DEATHS - HOSPITALIZATIONS

Fulton    3239    294.67    130    586

DeKalb    2353    296.66    59    429

Gwinnett    2198    226.33    79    399

Cobb    1981    250.57    102    504

Hall    1882    912.05    27    235

Dougherty    1554    1728.49    126    315

Non-Georgia Resident    1043    0    18    68

Clayton    839    275.23    33    143

Unknown    547        0    41

Cherokee    546    204.79    16    95

Henry    543    226.38    14    70

Richmond    428    211.63    15    120

Carroll    390    324.68    15    76

Sumter    385    1309.57    29    103

Habersham    372    812.23    13    54

Bibb    363    238.58    13    101

Bartow    356    321.38    31    123

Douglas    354    233.04    11    102

Forsyth    354    140.19    10    45

Muscogee    344    179.52    9    68

Lee    333    1111.07    22    47

Mitchell    333    1509.79    33    71

Chatham    279    95.49    12    68

Houston    271    172.57    14    80

Baldwin    262    589.72    10    51

Coweta    245    161.18    4    39

Upson    244    928.57    23    26

Newton    230    204.71    8    38

Spalding    226    327.01    11    38

Early    224    2207.77    27    14

Rockdale    221    232.73    6    53

Paulding    212    122.87    9    53

Thomas    206    463.64    21    47

Colquitt    196    431.78    10    13

Fayette    194    165.04    10    36

Barrow    193    223.42    5    50

Terrell    193    2279.44    21    34

Crisp    177    794.11    6    36

Clarke    174    134.07    13    31

Worth    174    863.87    12    33

Columbia    170    107.17    5    29

Lowndes    170    144.22    4    31

Randolph    166    2457.8    20    28

Troup    165    234.33    5    44

Butts    161    639.55    17    17

Coffee    156    362.44    8    45

Floyd    150    150.13    11    39

Ware    144    401.64    13    40

Walton    139    145.07    5    21

Tift    136    333.09    5    37

Whitfield    134    128.02    6    17

Dooly    132    985.07    11    34

Gordon    117    201.55    13    29

Jackson    116    155.29    3    22

Hancock    110    1342.61    2    11

Calhoun    109    1725.5    5    7

Decatur    103    391.31    2    11

Wilcox    90    1023.89    10    15

Burke    88    393.88    3    17

Stephens    88    334.24    1    21

White    83    261.35    1    19

Macon    81    623.65    3    29

Gilmer    80    254.64    0    13

Appling    77    414.85    9    15

Dawson    71    262.76    1    13

Turner    71    879.15    10    11

Lumpkin    69    204.13    1    13

Laurens    68    143.78    1    13

Oconee    67    160.53    0    9

Glynn    66    76.7    1    10

Grady    65    264.87    4    19

Johnson    64    662.46    2    10

Brooks    63    400.58    7    5

Polk    62    142.59    0    11

Harris    61    175.73    2    10

Peach    61    222.83    2    16

Walker    61    87.63    0    1

Meriwether    58    275.93    1    9

Pierce    58    296.75    3    15

Bryan    57    145.64    4    18

Greene    55    293.85    5    17

Catoosa    52    75.61    0    5

Oglethorpe    51    334.65    3    10

Putnam    51    233.04    5    10

McDuffie    49    226.88    4    15

Washington    45    221.65    1    4

Bulloch    43    54.11    2    9

Wilkinson    41    459.69    2    14

Lamar    40    206.75    1    4

Pike    40    212.09    2    7

Liberty    39    63    0    11

Effingham    38    59.35    1    11

Marion    37    446.16    1    8

Toombs    37    137.12    3    9

Ben Hill    36    216.28    0    3

Murray    35    86.93    1    5

Camden    34    63.05    1    6

Elbert    33    174.19    0    3

Pulaski    33    302.95    1    7

Dodge    32    156.98    1    7

Fannin    32    121.58    1    4

Union    32    126.31    1    10

Banks    31    155.14    0    7

Haralson    31    100.9    2    8

Jones    31    108.43    0    4

Miller    31    537.82    0    1

Monroe    31    111.8    4    7

Seminole    31    380.84    2    7

Morgan    30    156.76    0    3

Bacon    29    254.3    1    4

Cook    29    166.31    1    5

Pickens    29    86.49    2    8

Telfair    28    178.98    0    5

Baker    27    866.5    2    8

Madison    27    89.47    1    5

Jasper    26    183.11    0    4

Wilkes    26    259.64    0    5

Clay    25    875.66    3    4

Franklin    25    107.16    1    5

Stewart    25    407.9    0    7

Talbot    24    389.74    1    11

Brantley    22    114.57    2    1

Emanuel    22    97.07    0    3

Jeff Davis    22    145.23    1    4

Bleckley    21    163.58    0    0

Irwin    20    212.02    1    2

Towns    20    166.2    1    7

Berrien    19    98.57    0    1

Crawford    19    155.38    0    4

Taylor    18    226.19    2    8

Dade    17    105.19    1    3

Jenkins    17    198.23    1    4

Atkinson    16    192.08    1    5

Jefferson    16    104.49    1    3

Screven    16    115.11    1    7

Chattooga    15    60.57    2    3

Clinch    15    225.36    0    2

Schley    15    284.36    1    7

Hart    14    53.63    0    0

Heard    14    113.18    1    4

Charlton    13    98.11    0    3

Rabun    13    76.53    1    5

Warren    13    249.52    0    3

Wayne    13    43.37    0    2

Chattahoochee    12    111.64    0    5

Lincoln    12    147.69    0    5

Lanier    10    96.61    1    4

Webster    10    392.16    2    5

Tattnall    9    35.42    0    1

Twiggs    8    98.94    0    3

Candler    7    64.59    0    1

Quitman    6    261.55    1    3

Echols    5    125.98    0    0

Evans    5    46.79    0    0

Long    5    25.11    0    2

McIntosh    5    34.32    0    2

Wheeler    5    63.22    0    0

Treutlen    4    58.57    0    0

Montgomery    2    21.68    0    1

Taliaferro    1    61.27    0    0

Rappers TI, Killer Mike to serve meals to Atlanta residents

Tip “T.I.” Harris and Michael Render, pka Killer Mike, announced a collaboration with PAWkids to serve food to 500 Atlanta residents and offer $500 cash per household to several families on Wednesday. 

The food is provided by Mercedes Benz, which partners with PAWkids to bring 1,000 meals weekly to PAWkids to distribute to families in need.

Tip Harris and Killer Mike will knock on the doors today of unsuspecting Atlanta residents and deliver two weeks’ worth of groceries as well as $500 cash to a limited number of families.

Georgia's Lt. Gov. to take pay cut

Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan announced that he will cut his state salary by 14 percent for the 2020-2021 budget cycle.

“As we work through the budget process ahead of us it will be necessary for everyone to make sacrifices, and I will do my part and take a cut as well,” said Lt. Governor Duncan. “The fiscal impact of the Coronavirus on our state’s budget is severe, and the General Assembly is tasked with making serious cuts to government services and programs, which will affect the lives of the Georgians we serve.

Testing numbers update

If you noticed a large swing in the number of tests completed appearing yesterday on the Georgia Department of Public Health website, we have an explanation from the state:

"There was a technical issue with the data on Sunday, so the increase you saw this morning was for more than one day," a spokesperson said. "There has also been a concerted effort to increase testing over the past week, so the increase is also a great reflection of those efforts."

Things to know on Wednesday morning

  • A Forbes article that was tweeted out by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms indicating a 40% increase in Georgians' risk of contracting COVID-19 since the statewide shelter-in-place was lifted was deleted over concerns in the math it used
  • Gov. Brian Kemp announced new mobile medical unit will be established in Hall County, where cases are on the rise
  • Staff at a DeKalb senior living home are living there themselves, away from their families, to stop the spread of COVID-19
  • Atlanta area companies are making changes to make their workplaces safe for when employees return

MORE CORONAVIRUS HEADLINES

Groceries or ballet lessons? Owners of small businesses share ideas for survival amid coronavirus pandemic

Global stocks push higher as nations ease pandemic lockdowns

States with few coronavirus cases get big share of relief aid

VERIFY: CDC did not lower or revise the COVID-19 death count by 30,000 cases

Use your security deposit for rent? An expert’s advice on what to do if you can’t afford rent payments

Nonprofits seek to serve, juggle uncertainties in the 'new normal'

Before You Leave, Check This Out