For the latest updates on April 7 click here.
Below is an archive
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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:
- 294 deaths from the novel coronavirus in Georgia
- 7,558 confirmed cases across the state
- Statewide shelter-in-place order in effect until April 13
- Gov. Kemp has ordered all public schools in the state to close through the end of the school year
- Public Health Emergency remains in effect
Monday, April 6
DeKalb parks serving snacks during spring break for children
DeKalb Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs plans on providing nutritional snacks to children during spring break week, Monday, April 6, through Friday, April 10. This will be done at the following locations from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.:
- Gresham Recreation Center, 3113 Gresham Road, Atlanta, GA 30316
- Exchange Intergenerational Recreation Center, 2771 Columbia Drive, Decatur, GA 30034
- Redan Recreation Center, 1839 Phillips Rd., Lithonia, GA 30058
- Tobie Grant Recreation Center, 644 Parkdale Drive, Scottdale, GA 30079
- N.H. Scott Recreation Center, 2230 Tilson Road, Decatur, GA 30032
- Lucious Sanders Recreation Center, 2484 Bruce Street, Lithonia, GA 30058
- Mason Mill Recreation Center, 1340- B McConnell Drive, Decatur, GA 30033
- Hamilton Recreation Center, 3263 Chapel Street, Scottdale, GA 30079
- Midway Recreation Center, 3181 Midway Road, Decatur, GA 30032
More than 7,500 coronavirus cases in Georgia with nearly 300 deaths reported
The Georgia Department of Health released new numbers Monday evening saying that there's a total of 7,558 confirmed cases in the state, as of 7 p.m. The number of deaths total 294 with 1,393 people hospitalized.
Of the 7,558 confirmed cases, 1,053 are in Fulton, 600 are in DeKalb, 722 are in Dougherty, 517 are in Cobb and 455 are in Gwinnett.
The breakdown also shows that 1 percent are from ages 0 to 17; 60 percent from ages 18 through 59; 35 percent ages 60+; 4 percent unknown. 53 percent are female and 45 percent are male with 2 percent unknown.
COUNTY - CASES - DEATHS
Fulton 1053 32
Dougherty 722 44
Dekalb 600 11
Cobb 517 26
Gwinnett 455 10
Clayton 254 9
Bartow 182 11
Henry 181 3
Carroll 163 4
Lee 148 13
Cherokee 141 5
Hall 138 0
Chatham 110 4
Douglas 105 5
Sumter 90 4
Floyd 89 3
Forsyth 85 1
Rockdale 82 2
Early 81 5
Coweta 76 2
Fayette 74 4
Clarke 72 8
Houston 70 6
Terrell 66 8
Newton 65 2
Colquitt 61 5
Mitchell 59 10
Paulding 57 1
Richmond 56 1
Muscogee 47 1
Crisp 46 0
Spalding 44 4
Bibb 42 1
Lowndes 42 2
Tift 42 0
Columbia 40 0
Worth 39 3
Troup 36 2
Coffee 30 0
Barrow 29 3
Glynn 29 0
Thomas 28 0
Ware 28 3
Dooly 27 1
Randolph 26 2
Gordon 25 3
Upson 25 0
Bryan 24 2
Oconee 24 0
Pierce 23 0
Walton 23 2
Baldwin 20 1
Calhoun 20 1
Polk 20 0
Dawson 18 1
Jackson 18 0
Whitfield 18 1
Butts 17 0
Laurens 17 0
Peach 16 2
Camden 15 0
Greene 15 0
Lamar 15 0
Meriwether 15 0
Miller 15 0
Turner 15 0
Effingham 14 1
Haralson 14 0
Decatur 13 0
Liberty 12 0
Bacon 10 0
Burke 10 0
Fannin 10 0
Harris 10 0
Monroe 10 1
Murray 10 0
Bulloch 9 0
Lumpkin 9 0
Madison 9 1
Pickens 9 2
Pike 9 0
Seminole 9 0
Dodge 8 0
Mcduffie 8 1
Pulaski 8 0
Stephens 8 0
Clay 7 1
Irwin 7 0
Schley 7 1
Toombs 7 1
Appling 6 0
Ben Hill 6 0
Brooks 6 0
Catoosa 6 0
Jones 6 0
Morgan 6 0
Washington 6 0
Baker 5 1
Johnson 5 0
Lanier 5 0
Lincoln 5 0
Macon 5 0
Talbot 5 0
Warren 5 0
Berrien 4 0
Chattooga 4 1
Grady 4 0
Jasper 4 0
Jenkins 4 0
Telfair 4 0
Webster 4 0
White 4 0
Wilkes 4 0
Atkinson 3 0
Brantley 3 0
Charlton 3 0
Clinch 3 0
Franklin 3 0
Hart 3 0
Jefferson 3 0
Putnam 3 0
Rabun 3 0
Stewart 3 0
Tattnall 3 0
Taylor 3 1
Walker 3 0
Wilkinson 3 0
Banks 2 0
Candler 2 0
Chattahoochee 2 0
Cook 2 0
Elbert 2 0
Emanuel 2 0
Gilmer 2 0
Habersham 2 0
Heard 2 1
Marion 2 0
Mcintosh 2 0
Screven 2 0
Twiggs 2 0
Wayne 2 0
Wilcox 2 0
Bleckley 1 0
Crawford 1 0
Dade 1 1
Echols 1 0
Jeff Davis 1 0
Long 1 0
Oglethorpe 1 1
Quitman 1 0
Towns 1 0
Treutlen 1 0
Union 1 0
Wheeler 1 0
Unknown 309 5
APS foundation to Receive $280K Gift for COVID-19 response
The Atlanta Partners for Education is one of 27 organizations selected by the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and the United Way of Greater Atlanta to receive grants from the Greater Atlanta COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund.
The grant will support COVID-19 specific programs in nutrition and technology, providing free meals for students and families and securing laptops and internet access for distance learning.
“We are thrilled to be included on the list of organizations selected to receive assistance from this fund,” APS Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen said.
“The establishment of the Greater Atlanta COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund is yet another example of how the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and the United Way of Greater Atlanta continue to show their support and dedication to improving the lives of families in metro Atlanta. We are extremely grateful to them for this generous gift," she added.
The resources will support the partnership with GOODR, a nonprofit that will distribute school meals directly to the homes of 1,000 new APS families as well as to support I'm a Father First, a nonprofit that will distribute high meals to food insecure families in the Douglass cluster.
Additionally, the funds will purchase devices and internet packages from Comcast as part of the " Get Our Kids Connected" campaign to ensure students can continue distance learning.
APFE, the district's foundation, serves as the gateway through which the corporate and philanthropic communities support student achievement and develop solutions to challenges that impact APS students and families.
Rockdale County inmate tests positive
An inmate at the Rockdale County Jail has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, according to Capt. Jason Welch, a jail commander with the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office.
The inmate was taken to Piedmont Rockdale on March 28, with a low-grade fever. After an examination, medical personnel told the jail's medical staff that the fever was due to thrush in his mouth that caused a fungal infection.
The inmate returned to the Rockdale County Jail on March 28 and was placed on medical quarantine. The inmate was tested for COVID-19 by jail medical staff and a positive result was received on April 5, they said.
Three additional inmates who were in contact with the positive inmate were also placed on medical quarantine immediately. Three of the four inmates have since been released on own recognizance bonds, they said. The one inmate that was not released remains in medical quarantine and medical staff will continue to monitor him.
Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta raises $2.5 million
The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and the Atlanta Jewish Foundation announced today that the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund has received more than $2.7 million just over two weeks.
The funds will be used to support organizations serving those affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic in Atlanta’s Jewish community, they said in a news release.
“As in the rest of the world, COVID-19 is having a great impact on our Jewish Atlanta community,” says Eric Robbins, president and CEO, of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. “The COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund allows our community to do what we do best - come together and support one another. This is a time to deepen our commitment to our neighbors by providing for the most affected and most vulnerable during this unprecedented time.”
Georgia Renaissance Festival moves from spring to fall
One of the regular harbingers of Atlanta's summer season, the Georgia Renaissance Festival said Monday it was postponing its annual run to Oct. 10 - Nov. 22, 2020.
The festival's organizers said in a release that the RenFest industry has been devastated by the effects of COVID-19. Many festivals have had to either shorten their scheduled seasons or shut down entirely.
In a business that relies on a handful of weekends a year in many locations for its income, this creates a huge blow for many artisans who make their living almost exclusively from crafts and items sold at the traveling fairs across North America each year. In addition, many of the entertainers who perform at renaissance fairs are adversely affected in a similar fashion.
Festival organizers said that those who have already purchased tickets for the Georgia Renaissance Festival may use them for any day of the upcoming fall season.
Additional information can be found at the festival's website: https://www.garenfest.com/
Confirmed cases climb to 7,314 with 229 deaths
The Georgia Department of Health announced new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. As of Noon, there are 7,314 confirmed cases of the virus and 229 deaths reported. This is up from the 6,742 confirmed cases and 219 deaths that they announced on Sunday evening.
Of the 7,314 confirmed cases, 1,027 are in Fulton, 579 are in DeKalb, 716 are in Dougherty, 515 are in Cobb and 443 are in Gwinnett. In all, there are cases reported in 152 counties (320 cases are listed as unknown counties). For a breakdown by county, view the 11Alive interactive map.
They said 1,332 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19.
Of the confirmed cases, 1 percent are between the ages of 0-17, while 60 percent are 18-59 years old, 35 percent are over 60 and 4 percent are unknown. 49 percent are female, and 48 percent are male.
In total, 28,777 tests were conducted at commercial labs, reporting 6,866 positive cases. At the Department of Public Health Laboratory, 2,497 tests were conducted with 448 positive results.
COUNTY - CASES - DEATHS
Fulton 1027 28
Dougherty 716 31
Dekalb 579 10
Cobb 515 25
Gwinnett 443 10
Clayton 244 9
Bartow 179 7
Henry 178 3
Carroll 163 2
Lee 147 9
Cherokee 133 5
Hall 131 0
Chatham 104 3
Douglas 102 5
Sumter 87 4
Floyd 84 3
Forsyth 80 1
Rockdale 80 2
Coweta 76 2
Early 76 1
Fayette 74 4
Clarke 69 8
Terrell 65 3
Houston 64 6
Newton 62 2
Mitchell 56 1
Richmond 56 1
Paulding 54 0
Colquitt 53 3
Crisp 43 0
Tift 42 0
Spalding 41 2
Bibb 40 1
Columbia 40 0
Lowndes 40 1
Muscogee 40 0
Worth 39 2
Troup 37 1
Glynn 29 0
Thomas 28 0
Barrow 27 2
Gordon 24 2
Oconee 24 0
Randolph 24 0
Walton 23 2
Upson 22 0
Ware 22 3
Bryan 21 2
Pierce 21 0
Decatur 20 0
Polk 20 0
Calhoun 19 1
Dawson 19 0
Dooly 19 1
Butts 17 0
Jackson 17 0
Whitfield 17 1
Laurens 16 0
Baldwin 15 1
Coffee 15 0
Greene 15 0
Peach 15 2
Lamar 14 0
Miller 14 0
Turner 14 0
Effingham 13 1
Liberty 13 0
Meriwether 13 0
Burke 10 0
Haralson 10 0
Harris 10 0
Monroe 10 1
Murray 10 0
Camden 9 0
Fannin 9 0
Lumpkin 9 0
Pickens 9 2
Pike 9 0
Seminole 9 0
Bulloch 8 0
Dodge 8 0
Mcduffie 8 1
Stephens 8 0
Bacon 7 0
Clay 7 0
Jones 7 0
Madison 7 1
Pulaski 7 0
Toombs 7 1
Appling 6 0
Brooks 6 0
Catoosa 6 0
Irwin 6 0
Schley 6 0
Washington 6 0
Baker 5 1
Ben Hill 5 0
Franklin 5 0
Lincoln 5 0
Morgan 5 0
Talbot 5 0
Warren 5 0
Grady 4 0
Jenkins 4 0
Lanier 4 0
Macon 4 0
Telfair 4 0
Webster 4 0
White 4 0
Wilkes 4 0
Banks 3 0
Berrien 3 0
Chattooga 3 0
Hart 3 0
Jasper 3 0
Jefferson 3 0
Johnson 3 0
Putnam 3 0
Rabun 3 0
Stewart 3 0
Tattnall 3 0
Taylor 3 1
Walker 3 0
Wilkinson 3 0
Brantley 2 0
Candler 2 0
Charlton 2 0
Chattahoochee 2 0
Clinch 2 0
Elbert 2 0
Habersham 2 0
Heard 2 1
Marion 2 0
Mcintosh 2 0
Screven 2 0
Twiggs 2 0
Wayne 2 0
Wilcox 2 0
Bleckley 1 0
Cook 1 0
Crawford 1 0
Dade 1 1
Emanuel 1 0
Gilmer 1 0
Jeff Davis 1 0
Long 1 0
Oglethorpe 1 1
Quitman 1 0
Towns 1 0
Treutlen 1 0
Union 1 0
Wheeler 1 0
Unknown 320 5
Piedmont looks to open new tower months ahead of schedule to accommodate COVID-19 patients
Piedmont Healthcare said they have received the Certificate of Occupancy for the Marcus Tower at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital off Peachtree Road in Buckhead.
They received the certificate in late March and are actively working to procure the equipment and furnishing required to open the first nursing unit in the tower, they said in a news release.
"The date of the opening will depend on Piedmont’s ability to secure the needed equipment and specialty staff, which are currently in short supply across the United States," they said.
Originally, the tower, which was made possible through an initial donation of $75 million from Bernie and Billi Marcus via The Marcus Foundation, was set to open Aug. 1.
Rooms to Go Founder, President and CEO Jeff Seaman has made a $1 million gift to the Piedmont Healthcare Foundation’s COVID-19 Infrastructure Fund, which will support early activation of the Marcus Tower at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital.
Dawson County Sheriff's deputy tests positive
A Dawson County Sheriff's deputy has tested positive for COVID-19, the agency said on Facebook.
They said the deputy is quarantined at home "recovering" and "doing well."
"The effected deputy was originally diagnosed with a sinus infection and placed on restricted duty to minimize contact with others," they wrote. "Please pray for our deputy and all of those essential service professionals who continue to serve our community."
Drive-thru testing site at Georgia Tech
Gov. Brian Kemp announced that the state and CVS Health have joined forces to increase access to rapid COVID-19 testing.
Starting today, CVS will be operating drive-thru rapid COVID-19 testing at a site on Georgia Tech's campus. At full capacity, the site will be able to conduct up to 1,000 tests per day.
"Increased access to rapid testing remains one of our top priorities in order to identify more cases, get Georgians the care they need, and prevent further infection in our communities," Gov. Kemp said. "This unique, public-private partnership will strengthen our testing capability as we continue to take the fight to COVID-19 in Georgia, and we are grateful for CVS Health's support to stop the spread of the virus."
Testing will take place at a parking deck on Georgia Tech's campus, where officials will be able to accommodate multiple lanes of cars at one time. Health care providers, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants from MinuteClinic, the company's retail medical clinic, will be onsite to oversee testing.
The process will take approximately 30 minutes from specimen collection to delivery of results, and patients will need to pre-register in advance for a same-day appointment online at www.CVS.com/minuteclinic/covid-19-testing.
Daughter of MLK named to Georgia coronavirus outreach group
Georgia's governor has named one of the daughters of The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to help lead a new outreach committee as the state copes with the coronavirus.
Gov. Brian Kemp on Sunday said The King Center CEO Bernice King will co-chair the committee with Engaged Futures Group LLC President Leo Smith.
More than a dozen other members, including business and nonprofit leaders, make up the committee. Georgia has seen more than 200 deaths in the state and more than 1,200 have been hospitalized. Total infections confirmed in the state exceed 6,600.
- The Associated Press
Things to know on Monday
- A Georgia inmate has died from complications tied to COVID-19, the state's Department of Corrections confirmed on Saturday.
- Cobb Schools to students: Accept March grade as final or use the digital score to improve
- Two metro Atlanta mainstays of the Easter season -- the Sunday morning service at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park and the Easter Sunrise Service at the top of Stone Mountain -- have been canceled.
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