ATLANTA — Here is the latest coronavirus blog for Saturday, April 18.
Below is a blog from Friday, April 17.
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The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the state of Georgia has now reached to more than 17,400, with 668 deaths reported, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. Scroll to read more.
As President Trump begins to set out a roadmap for reopening the economy, Georgia is in some respects seeing signs of the curve flattening and the peak of the crisis extending out into early May as a result.
At 11Alive News, our coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. 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.
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.
We will continue to track the most important coronavirus elements relating to Georgia on this page. Refresh often for new information.
Key Facts:
- 668 deaths from the novel coronavirus in Georgia
- 17,432 confirmed cases across the state
- Statewide shelter-in-place order in effect until April 30
- All public schools in Georgia closed through the end of the school year
- Public Health Emergency now in effect until May 13
Friday, April 17
More than 17,400 confirmed cases reported with 668 deaths
The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the state of Georgia has now reached 17,432 with 668 deaths reported, according to the latest numbers from the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Graphs provided by the department appear to show a bend in the curve of cases, suggesting the rate of daily infections is beginning to slow, and may be on a downward trend.
Fulton County has now recorded more than 2,000 cases of COVID-19 within the county, with 74 deaths reported. Dougherty County follows with the second-highest number of cases at 1,385, but has recording 91 deaths.
DeKalb, Cobb and Gwinnett counties are the only other Georgia counties with more than 1,000 cases if the virus.
Here is the county-by-county breakdown:
County - Cases - Deaths
Fulton 2037 74
Dougherty 1385 91
Dekalb 1366 23
Cobb 1085 51
Gwinnett 1037 36
Hall 605 6
Clayton 499 16
Henry 350 7
Sumter 306 14
Cherokee 274 8
Lee 269 15
Carroll 261 8
Richmond 246 10
Bartow 245 22
Douglas 222 6
Muscogee 210 4
Mitchell 209 23
Bibb 191 1
Forsyth 185 6
Chatham 174 5
Houston 164 10
Upson 164 8
Early 163 8
Coweta 153 3
Terrell 142 14
Randolph 140 12
Fayette 134 5
Paulding 132 5
Spalding 124 7
Floyd 121 8
Newton 121 3
Rockdale 117 6
Worth 116 4
Thomas 115 13
Crisp 113 2
Baldwin 112 2
Colquitt 108 5
Clarke 106 13
Columbia 91 1
Barrow 85 3
Lowndes 83 3
Tift 80 3
Troup 80 4
Ware 77 5
Coffee 74 3
Habersham 72 2
Dooly 69 4
Walton 58 3
Calhoun 57 2
Decatur 55 0
Gordon 55 5
Turner 51 2
Pierce 49 2
Oconee 48 0
Glynn 46 0
Jackson 46 1
Macon 46 0
Dawson 42 1
Whitfield 41 3
Butts 40 0
Greene 40 1
Meriwether 40 0
Laurens 39 1
Burke 38 2
Wilcox 38 0
Harris 36 2
Mcduffie 35 2
Johnson 33 1
Liberty 32 0
Oglethorpe 32 2
Peach 32 2
Bryan 31 2
Stephens 30 1
Pike 29 1
Polk 29 0
Camden 27 0
Grady 27 1
Bulloch 26 1
Marion 26 1
Effingham 25 1
Washington 24 1
Brooks 23 5
Lamar 22 0
Lumpkin 22 0
Haralson 20 1
Miller 20 0
Seminole 20 2
White 20 0
Wilkinson 20 1
Catoosa 19 0
Clay 19 2
Dodge 19 0
Morgan 19 0
Toombs 19 2
Appling 18 0
Murray 18 0
Bacon 17 1
Brantley 17 2
Putnam 17 1
Baker 16 2
Jones 16 0
Pickens 16 2
Pulaski 16 1
Talbot 16 1
Fannin 15 0
Irwin 15 0
Monroe 15 1
Schley 15 1
Stewart 15 0
Jasper 14 0
Madison 14 1
Telfair 14 0
Banks 13 0
Ben Hill 13 0
Crawford 13 0
Walker 13 0
Cook 12 1
Emanuel 12 0
Jenkins 12 1
Jefferson 11 1
Screven 11 1
Wilkes 11 0
Berrien 10 0
Franklin 10 0
Gilmer 10 0
Taylor 10 2
Towns 10 0
Union 10 1
Warren 10 0
Chattooga 9 1
Lincoln 9 0
Dade 8 1
Clinch 7 0
Elbert 7 0
Rabun 7 0
Wayne 7 0
Bleckley 6 0
Chattahoochee 6 0
Hancock 6 0
Lanier 6 1
Atkinson 5 0
Charlton 5 0
Hart 5 0
Heard 5 1
Jeff Davis 5 0
Tattnall 5 0
Webster 5 0
Candler 4 0
Echols 4 0
Mcintosh 4 0
Twiggs 4 0
Quitman 3 1
Wheeler 3 0
Evans 2 0
Long 2 0
Montgomery 2 0
Treutlen 1 0
Unknown 264 0
Non-Georgia Resident 774 7
*Based on patient county of residence when known
Georgia World Congress Center alternative care facility completed
An alternate care facility at the Georgia World Congress Center designated for overflow COVID-19 patients is complete, according to the governor's office.
The 200-bed facility will be anchored in partnership with Grady Health System and provide treatment to non-critical COVID-19 patients.
"I greatly appreciate the work of the Georgia National Guard, Grady Health System, and our private sector partners to get this facility completed," Gov. Brian Kemp said. "Our team has been laser-focused on expanding hospital bed capacity so that no Georgian infected with COVID-19 goes without the care they need, and the alternate care facility at the Georgia World Congress Center is a solid insurance policy as we prepare for any scenario."
Photos: Inside the Georgia World Congress Center COVID-19 facility
100,000 medical face masks from Taiwan arrive for state’s COVID-19 response
State Representative Matt Dollar (R-Marietta) and State Senator Brandon Beach (R-Alpharetta) said the state has recently received a donation of 100,000 medical face masks from Taiwan for the state’s response to the coronavirus.
“These medical face masks will allow Georgians who are working on the front lines to combat COVID-19 to continue to serve our state," Rep. Dollar said in a statement. This donation from the Taiwanese people is an important reminder that no matter where we are, we are all in this fight together.”
Rep. Dollar and Sen. Beach said they worked with officials from the Taiwanese government, who agreed to donate the medical face masks to the state. The medical face masks will be will be delivered to the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency next week.
Bartow County Schools give end of the year updates
The district announced that the last day of school will be May 20. The district added that the last day for teachers to assign new content is May 7 for seniors and May 14 for students Kindergarten through 11th. The final day for all students to submit course work is May 20. Electronic report cards will be available by 5 p.m. on May 22.
138 long-term care facilities across Georgia report cases of COVID-19
Gov. Brian Kemp said earlier this week that the most vulnerable population in the state of Georgia when it comes to battling COVID-19 is the state's aged.
In a report issued this week by Kemp's office, 138 long-term care facilities have reported at least one case of COVID-19 among either residents or staff.
The largest number of cases at one facility has been reported at PruittHealth-Palmyra in Albany, where 70 cases of the novel coronavirus has been reported. According to the state report, "more than 10" deaths have been reported at the same facility.
"More than 10" deaths were also reported at the Dawson Health and Rehab Center in the city of Dawson in Terrell County, less than 25 miles from Albany. The report says 49 cases of COVID-19 have been reported at that facility.
The following facilities have 10 or more cases in reported in metro Atlanta:
- Cumming Health & Rehab - Cumming - 47
- Rome Health and Rehab - Rome - 35
- Arbor Terrace at Cascade - Atlanta - 29
- Powder Springs Transitional Care and Rehab - Powder Springs - 25 (2 deaths)
- Sandy Springs Health and Rehab - Sandy Springs - 24 (1 death)
- Maple Ridge Health Care - Cartersville - 21 (4 deaths)
- Townsend Park - Cartersville - 19 (4 deaths)
- Autumn Breeze Healthcare - Marietta - 17
- Pruitt Grandview - Athens - 16 (9 deaths)
- Sadie G. Mays Health & Rehab Center - Atlanta - 15
- Retreat at Canton - Canton - 14 (1 death)
- Greenwood Place Senior Living Community - Marietta - 11 (2 deaths)
- The Oaks-Limestone - Gainesville - 11
- Westminster Commons - Atlanta - 11
- Benton House - Woodstock - 10 (1 death)
Kemp said this week that the Georgia National Guard has been deployed to sanitize all long-term care facilities statewide and to train staff on keeping them free of the virus.
APS closes two food distribution sites after 2 volunteers test positive for COVID-19
Atlanta Public School officials have closed two food distribution sites following a positive diagnosis for two employees for COVID-19.
The two employees were volunteering to distribute food at Thomasville Heights Elementary School and Booker T. Washington High School.
The individuals who may have come into contact with those volunteers have been notified and food distribution will continue at the remaining sites, according to APS Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen.
More than 17,000 confirmed cases reported with 650 deaths in Georgia
There are more than 17,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the state of Georgia with 650 deaths reported across the state, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health as of Friday, April 17 at noon.
More than 2,000 cases have been reported in Fulton County, with 73 deaths. Dougherty County remains a hot spot for the virus, with 1,381 cases reported and 91 deaths. DeKalb County has reported 1,349 cases of COVID-19 with 23 deaths.
In Cobb County, 1,072 cases have been reported, Gwinnett reports 1,017 cases, Hall has 563 cases, Clayton has 491 cases and Henry reports 344 cases.
Commercial labs have processed 67,068 tests which have yielded 16,264 positive results; the GPHL has processed 4,616 tests, yielding 930 positive results.
Here's a full list of confirmed cases and deaths as reported across the state:
County - Cases - Deaths
Fulton 2025 73
Dougherty 1381 91
Dekalb 1349 23
Cobb 1072 51
Gwinnett 1017 36
Hall 563 6
Clayton 491 14
Henry 344 5
Sumter 302 14
Lee 269 15
Cherokee 266 8
Carroll 260 7
Bartow 242 22
Richmond 238 10
Douglas 220 6
Muscogee 207 4
Mitchell 203 22
Bibb 188 1
Forsyth 184 6
Chatham 173 5
Houston 164 10
Early 163 8
Upson 162 8
Coweta 149 3
Randolph 139 12
Terrell 139 13
Fayette 133 5
Paulding 132 5
Floyd 121 6
Newton 121 3
Spalding 119 5
Rockdale 116 6
Worth 116 4
Colquitt 115 5
Thomas 112 14
Crisp 110 1
Baldwin 109 2
Clarke 106 12
Columbia 90 1
Barrow 84 3
Tift 81 4
Lowndes 80 3
Troup 78 4
Ware 77 5
Coffee 73 3
Dooly 66 4
Habersham 64 2
Calhoun 60 2
Walton 59 3
Decatur 55 0
Gordon 53 5
Turner 50 1
Pierce 49 2
Oconee 48 0
Glynn 46 0
Jackson 46 1
Macon 44 0
Dawson 42 2
Butts 40 0
Greene 40 1
Whitfield 40 3
Laurens 39 1
Meriwether 39 0
Burke 37 2
Wilcox 36 0
Harris 35 2
Mcduffie 35 2
Johnson 32 1
Oglethorpe 32 1
Bryan 31 2
Liberty 31 0
Peach 31 2
Pike 29 1
Polk 29 0
Stephens 28 1
Camden 27 0
Grady 27 1
Bulloch 26 1
Effingham 25 1
Marion 24 1
Brooks 23 3
Washington 23 0
Lamar 21 0
Lumpkin 20 0
Miller 20 0
White 20 0
Baker 19 2
Clay 19 2
Dodge 19 0
Haralson 19 1
Morgan 19 0
Seminole 19 2
Wilkinson 19 1
Appling 18 0
Catoosa 18 0
Murray 18 0
Toombs 18 2
Bacon 17 1
Brantley 16 1
Jones 16 0
Pulaski 16 1
Talbot 16 1
Monroe 15 1
Pickens 15 2
Schley 15 1
Fannin 14 0
Jasper 14 0
Madison 14 1
Putnam 14 0
Banks 13 0
Ben Hill 13 0
Crawford 13 0
Irwin 13 0
Stewart 13 0
Telfair 13 0
Walker 13 0
Emanuel 12 0
Jenkins 12 1
Cook 11 1
Jefferson 11 1
Screven 11 1
Wilkes 11 0
Berrien 10 0
Franklin 10 0
Gilmer 10 0
Taylor 10 2
Towns 10 0
Union 10 1
Warren 10 0
Chattooga 9 1
Lincoln 9 0
Clinch 7 0
Dade 7 1
Elbert 7 0
Rabun 7 0
Wayne 7 0
Chattahoochee 6 0
Hancock 6 0
Lanier 6 1
Atkinson 5 0
Charlton 5 0
Hart 5 0
Heard 5 1
Jeff Davis 5 0
Tattnall 5 0
Bleckley 4 0
Candler 4 0
Echols 4 0
Mcintosh 4 0
Twiggs 4 0
Webster 4 0
Quitman 3 1
Wheeler 3 0
Evans 2 0
Long 2 0
Montgomery 2 0
Treutlen 1 0
*Unknown 255 0
*Non-Georgia Resident 780 7
The information listed is based on patient county of residence, when known.
For a detailed break-out of where the cases are across Georgia, visit our interactive map page.
Supreme Court of Georgia moves July bar exam to September due to coronavirus
The Supreme Court of Georgia announced on Friday that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has rescheduled the July 28-29 state bar examination for September 9-10.
The Court took this step after consultation with the Georgia Department of Public Health.
In addition, the Court has adopted a temporary rule allowing recent law school graduates to become provisionally admitted to practice law before taking the bar exam.
“As we carefully considered all of our options, it became clear that the bar exam should not go forward in July,” Chief Justice Harold Melton said in a statement.
Up to 1,500 people take the July bar exam each year, and almost all of them sit in close proximity to each other in the same convention hall.
"It is vitally important to the Court that the law students and graduates affected by this delay be afforded the opportunity to move forward in their careers,” Chief Justice Melton said.
The new rule allows anyone who has graduated in the past 18 months from an American Bar Association-accredited law school to apply to the Office of Bar Admissions for a certificate of provisional admission.
UGA outlines graduation ceremony plans
The University of Georgia tweeted out that it is now planning its 2020 Spring undergraduate commencement ceremony for October, and its 2020 Spring graduate commencement ceremony for December.
They will also send an online recognition message on May 8.
Flowers Foods temporarily shutters Tucker bakery facility
Flowers Foods, regional baker of Nature's Own, Wonder, Tastykake, Dave's Killer Bread and other bakery foods, said this week it has temporarily stopped production at its Tucker, Ga., bakery facility.
The company said it was done out of an abundance of caution to safeguard the wellness of the 255 team members at the facility. This came following an increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at the bakery as well as self-quarantining over the past few days.
The facility, which primarily produces frozen, non-retail specialty and foodservice bread and bun items, is expected to resume production on or about April 27.
According to the FDA, there is no evidence of food or food packing being associated with COVID-19 transmission.
Flowers says it will pay furloughed production employees and asks those employees to shelter-in-place until the bakery resumes production.
The company only anticipates a limited impact on its ability to service its customers, as other bakery facilities in the Flowers network are expected to offset most of the lost production in the near term.
Things to know Friday morning
- Data compiled by the Kaiser Family Foundation ranks Georgia near the bottom in the nation in coronavirus testing
- An Atlanta emergency room physician is sharing what it's like to bear the burden of being on the front lines
- A 70-year-old metro Atlanta retiree gave away his full $1,200 stimulus payment - “I know there’s an extreme need," he said.
- The Marcus Autism Center preschool is using virtual 'circle time' to keep kids connected
- Still getting "Payment Status Not Available" when you try to check on your stimulus payment status? We're trying to work out why
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