ATLANTA — Below is an archive
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The Georgia Department of Health announced new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. As of 7 p.m., there are now more 29,839 cases of the virus reported in the state. The death toll stands at 1,294. 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.
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 1,294 deaths in Georgia, with the state's earliest reported death on March 5. That is an increase of 51 newly reported deaths in the last 24 hours, and an increase in 116 deaths from this time last week.
- There have been 29,839 cases confirmed in Georgia, with the state's earliest reported case on Feb. 1. That is an increase of 402 in the last 24 hours, and an increase of 1,345 cases from this time last week.
- There have been 5,654 total patients hospitalized in Georgia due to COVID-19, according to the Department of Public Health's cumulative total. The Department of Public Health does not track daily changes. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency tracked the daily total hospitalizations up until April 30. That day there were 5,129 total hospitalizations, making for an increase in the last five days of 525, or about 105 per day
- The Georgia Emergency Management Agency began changing its report to current statewide hospitalizations on May 1. That day they reported 1,500 current hospitalizations. By the the most recent report on May 4, there were 1,377 current hospitalizations. That's an average of 30.75 fewer current patients per day.
- 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
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
36 more deaths from coronavirus logged since noon report
The state has lost nearly 40 more people to the coronavirus since noon, according to data from the state health department.
As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, state data said 1,294 people have died from COVID-19. That's up from the 1,258 deaths reported at noon.
There are now 29,839 total cases of coronavirus in the state, up from the 29,560 cases announced with the noon report. That's 279 more cases over the span of seven hours. It's also up 402 cases from 24 hours ago.
Fulton County leads the way with the number of confirmed cases (3,163) of COVID-19, followed by DeKalb (2,284), Gwinnett (2,102) Cobb (1,885) and Hall (1,838).
Notable, Dougherty County, a long-time hot spot for coronavirus in the state, is no longer listed as one of the top five counties. It now falls behind Hall County, which is emerging as a hot spot for the virus.
COUNTY - CASES - DEATHS
Fulton 3153 130
DeKalb 2277 59
Gwinnett 2097 77
Cobb 1881 102
Hall 1837 26
Dougherty 1550 125
Clayton 813 33
Henry 527 14
Cherokee 516 15
Richmond 423 15
Sumter 392 29
Carroll 386 15
Habersham 361 11
Douglas 353 11
Bibb 351 13
Bartow 350 31
Forsyth 347 10
Muscogee 341 8
Lee 333 22
Mitchell 331 33
Houston 265 14
Chatham 261 12
Baldwin 260 10
Coweta 243 4
Upson 243 23
Early 222 27
Spalding 220 11
Newton 217 8
Paulding 207 9
Rockdale 204 6
Thomas 204 20
Colquitt 194 10
Terrell 191 21
Fayette 187 10
Barrow 176 5
Crisp 175 6
Worth 173 12
Columbia 169 5
Clarke 168 13
Lowndes 166 4
Randolph 165 20
Troup 163 5
Butts 153 17
Coffee 151 7
Floyd 151 11
Ware 140 13
Walton 139 5
Dooly 132 11
Tift 132 5
Whitfield 131 6
Gordon 117 13
Jackson 115 3
Calhoun 106 5
Decatur 95 2
Wilcox 90 10
Burke 88 3
Stephens 86 1
White 83 1
Macon 81 3
Appling 77 9
Gilmer 77 0
Turner 70 10
Lumpkin 69 1
Laurens 68 1
Dawson 67 1
Oconee 67 0
Hancock 66 2
Johnson 64 2
Brooks 63 7
Grady 63 3
Polk 61 0
Walker 61 0
Harris 60 2
Peach 60 2
Glynn 58 1
Greene 57 5
Meriwether 57 1
Bryan 56 4
Pierce 54 3
Catoosa 52 0
Oglethorpe 52 3
McDuffie 49 4
Putnam 49 5
Bulloch 43 2
Washington 43 1
Pike 40 2
Lamar 39 1
Effingham 38 1
Liberty 37 0
Marion 37 1
Wilkinson 35 2
Camden 34 1
Murray 34 1
Toombs 34 3
Pulaski 33 1
Elbert 32 0
Fannin 32 1
Miller 32 0
Union 32 1
Dodge 31 1
Seminole 31 2
Haralson 30 2
Morgan 30 0
Banks 29 0
Ben Hill 29 0
Jones 29 0
Monroe 29 4
Bacon 28 1
Cook 28 1
Pickens 28 2
Telfair 28 0
Madison 27 1
Baker 26 2
Wilkes 26 0
Clay 25 3
Jasper 25 0
Stewart 25 0
Talbot 25 1
Franklin 23 1
Brantley 22 2
Emanuel 22 0
Jeff Davis 22 1
Bleckley 21 0
Towns 20 1
Crawford 19 0
Irwin 19 1
Taylor 18 2
Berrien 17 0
Jenkins 17 1
Dade 16 1
Jefferson 16 1
Schley 16 1
Screven 16 1
Chattooga 15 2
Clinch 15 0
Atkinson 14 1
Heard 14 1
Charlton 13 0
Chattahoochee 13 0
Hart 13 0
Rabun 13 1
Warren 13 0
Wayne 13 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 3 0
Montgomery 2 0
Taliaferro 1 0
Unknown 634 0
Non-Georgia Resident 1029 18
Fort McPherson, Tyler Perry Studios reach agreement to grant temporary housing license
The Fort Mac LRA and Tyler Perry Studios said they have entered into an agreement to help the production facility get back up and running again.
During a special meeting, the Fort McPherson Board Of Directors passed a resolution to lease a small portion of the property, in order to create temporary housing on the Tyler Perry Studios campus. The resolution would allow production crews and staff to reside in temporary housing while working on the Tyler Perry Campus.
"The goal of resolution and agreement is to make sure that the talented staff and crews can be housed safely while getting people back to work during this unprecedented financial and health related crisis," Fort Mac Spokesperson Mark Hayes said.
Tyler Perry Studios was once part of the Fort McPherson Army base. It has 141 barracks, 40 historic homes and 30 homes he built that are also livable.
Dougherty County, long a COVID-19 hot spot in Georgia, seeing fewer deaths
The Dougherty County coroner has had a long couple of months, so every little bit of hope is a reason to celebrate.
The county has only two reported deaths related to the virus so far this month. On May 1, they reported 123 deaths. On May 5, as of 6:25 p.m., they are reporting 125 deaths with 1,549 total cases.
While it is only Tuesday, it is a glimmering bit of news the county devastated by the virus may have needed.
New mobile medical unit to be erected in Hall County
While medical crews have been mobilizing in the fight against COVID-19 in hard-hit southwest Georgia, there may be a new cluster emerging in Hall County.
On Tuesday, Gov. Brian Kemp toured a temporary medical pod set up at Phoebe Putney Hospital in Albany, in Dougherty County, adding that another unit like it will soon be erected in the other end of the state in Hall County.
"One of the places that we are going to be standing a unit like this up is in Gainesville, which is something that we are probably going to need right now, they are being stressed pretty hard up there," the governor said.
But while there are signs of some success in southwest Georgia, Hall County could be seeing warning signs. Last Tuesday, the county had a confirmed case rate of 544 per 100,000 people. Exactly one week later, its rate is now 881.That’s much higher than nearby counties in metro Atlanta and North Georgia.
The death toll in Hall County has also risen from 15 last week to 23 this week.
Atlanta Mayor: 'We can't get to the other side of this if we piecemeal our way out of this crisis'
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she's disappointed. Not just because the shelter-in-place order has been lifted, but that people aren't abiding by the guidelines laid out in the order to practice social distancing and limit crowd sizes.
After much attention was focused on the City of Atlanta this past weekend with large crowds gathering at parks, malls and other locations, Bottoms is trying to get the message to citizens that the fight isn't over.
"I was surprised. And I'm ashamed to say it. Maybe I should not have been. But I thought that people still recognized that this is a deadly virus," she told 11Alive's Cheryl Preheim in an interview Tuesday afternoon.
With four kids in her own home, she said she's constantly reminding them that nothing has changed and people are still dying.
"It's like playing Russian roulette when you go out and you don't take all the precautions that we know help keep you from contracting COVID-19," she said.
Watch the full interview with the Mayor here.
'Sensational' Forbes article about Georgian’s risk for COVID-19 deleted after raising concerns
A national news article about the risk of Georgians getting COVID-19 now that businesses are re-opening caught the attention of many, including Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms and even the Georgia governor's office.
But a day later, Forbes has removed the article from its website after The Reveal, 11Alive's investigative team, found those who closely follow the number of cases in Georgia had serious questions about the accuracy of the article.
19 testing sites added in past 11 days
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says the state now has 66 active COVID-19 specimen collection sites across the state. Officials added nineteen sites in the past eleven days, including one-day-only sites, with plans to open additional sites in the coming days.
"Expanded testing remains one of our top priorities to continue the process of safely reopening our state. I am calling on all Georgians who are experiencing symptoms or who fear that they have been exposed to COVID-19 to contact their medical provider or local public health officials to schedule an appointment for testing," Gov. Kemp said.
For a complete list of testing sites, hours and requirements, click here.
Airbnb: Don't throw parties at houses during COVID-19 pandemic or we'll ban you and get the police involved
Airbnb has a stern message for those wanting to violate social distancing suggestions and guidelines restricting gatherings of more than 10 people.
"We want to be very clear -- not only will we ban guests who attempt to throw an unauthorized party in an Atlanta Airbnb listing, we will be cooperating with Atlanta Police in any investigations relating to parties and violations of public health mandates, consistent with our Terms of Service," they said in a statement.
Under typical circumstances, Airbnb empowers hosts to set house rules on events and parties that are appropriate for their communities.
"These are very different times, and public health must come first," they said.
While Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has relaxed some restrictions, the statewide ban on gatherings of more than 10 people remains in place, and Mayor Bottoms has continued to urge Atlanta residents to stay home.
"Our policy reflects this by not allowing any kind of party at Airbnb listings in Atlanta until further notice," Airbnb said.
These are the concerts in Atlanta canceled or postponed due to COVID-19
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, musicians are starting to cancel shows for the summer -- one-by-one.
Click to see a list of concerts and festivals scheduled by venue, noting if it has been canceled, postponed or reschedule as of May 5, 2020.
Latest numbers show more than 200,000 tests performed
The Georgia Department of Health announced new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. As of Noon, there are 29,560 confirmed cases of the virus and 1,258 deaths reported. This is up from the 29,437 confirmed cases and 1,243 deaths that they announced on Monday evening.
Of the 29,560 confirmed cases, 3,069 are in Fulton, 2,259 are in DeKalb, 2,068 are in Gwinnett, 1,856 are in Cobb and 1,793 are in Hall. For a breakdown by county, view the 11Alive interactive map.
They said 5,574 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19.
COUNTY - CASES - DEATH
Fulton 3069 129
DeKalb 2259 58
Gwinnett 2068 69
Cobb 1856 101
Hall 1793 23
Dougherty 1544 126
Non-Georgia Resident 1066 18
Clayton 804 32
Unknown 712 3
Henry 527 14
Cherokee 509 14
Richmond 425 15
Sumter 390 29
Carroll 383 15
Habersham 356 9
Douglas 351 11
Bibb 349 12
Bartow 345 31
Forsyth 344 10
Muscogee 334 8
Lee 330 20
Mitchell 329 33
Houston 263 14
Chatham 257 10
Coweta 243 4
Baldwin 241 9
Upson 241 21
Early 221 24
Spalding 218 11
Newton 215 8
Paulding 208 9
Rockdale 199 6
Thomas 199 20
Colquitt 192 9
Terrell 189 21
Fayette 185 10
Barrow 169 5
Crisp 169 4
Worth 169 11
Columbia 168 4
Randolph 163 19
Lowndes 162 4
Clarke 161 13
Troup 160 5
Butts 152 17
Floyd 150 11
Coffee 149 7
Walton 136 5
Ware 135 12
Dooly 133 12
Tift 133 5
Whitfield 128 6
Gordon 116 13
Jackson 110 2
Calhoun 107 4
Decatur 95 1
Wilcox 90 10
Stephens 89 1
Burke 88 3
Macon 81 3
White 80 1
Gilmer 78 0
Appling 74 7
Turner 69 10
Lumpkin 68 2
Dawson 67 1
Laurens 67 1
Hancock 65 2
Oconee 65 0
Grady 63 3
Johnson 63 2
Brooks 61 7
Walker 61 0
Polk 60 0
Harris 59 2
Peach 59 2
Glynn 58 1
Greene 57 5
Bryan 56 4
Meriwether 56 1
Pierce 53 3
Catoosa 51 0
Oglethorpe 50 3
McDuffie 47 4
Putnam 47 5
Bulloch 43 2
Washington 43 1
Pike 40 2
Lamar 39 1
Effingham 37 1
Liberty 37 0
Marion 37 1
Wilkinson 36 2
Murray 34 1
Toombs 34 3
Camden 33 1
Pulaski 33 1
Fannin 32 1
Miller 32 0
Union 32 1
Elbert 31 0
Seminole 31 2
Dodge 30 1
Banks 29 0
Ben Hill 29 0
Haralson 29 1
Jones 29 0
Monroe 29 4
Morgan 29 0
Pickens 29 2
Bacon 28 1
Cook 28 1
Telfair 28 0
Baker 26 2
Madison 26 1
Clay 25 3
Jasper 25 0
Stewart 25 0
Talbot 25 1
Wilkes 25 0
Franklin 23 1
Brantley 22 2
Emanuel 22 0
Jeff Davis 22 1
Bleckley 21 0
Towns 20 1
Crawford 18 0
Irwin 18 1
Taylor 18 2
Berrien 17 0
Jenkins 17 1
Dade 16 1
Schley 16 1
Screven 16 1
Chattooga 15 2
Jefferson 15 1
Charlton 13 0
Chattahoochee 13 0
Heard 13 1
Rabun 13 1
Warren 13 0
Wayne 13 0
Atkinson 12 1
Hart 12 0
Lincoln 12 0
Lanier 10 1
Webster 10 2
Clinch 9 0
Tattnall 9 0
Twiggs 8 0
Candler 7 0
McIntosh 6 0
Quitman 6 1
Echols 5 0
Evans 5 0
Long 5 0
Wheeler 5 0
Treutlen 3 0
Montgomery 2 0
Taliaferro 1 0
Testing to return to Infinite Energy Center
On Friday, May 8, the Gwinnett, Newton & Rockdale County Health Departments will return to Infinite Energy Center in Duluth for COVID-19 testing.
Appointments are required and available by calling 770-513-5631.
Testing is available for everyone, regardless of whether you currently have symptoms, to healthcare workers, first responders, and other critical infrastructure workers exposed to COVID-19, or residents of a long-term care facilities or other group residential settings experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19.
While the Health Department requires a scheduled appointment to test individuals, a referral from a doctor is not necessary.
Governor to tour Albany medical setup
Gov. Brian Kemp will be in south Georgia today, touring a temporary medical pod that has been set up at the Phoebe North campus of the Phoebe Putney Health System in Albany.
Albany has seen one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the state, and the Phoebe Putney system in the area has been highly impacted. According to a release, the temporary pod will have 24 beds available "to treat non-critical COVID-19 patients."
Gov. Kemp will be at the facility at 9:30 a.m.
Dave & Buster's opens back up
The food, drink and games venue says it has "re-opened its doors in Marietta in compliance with local government guidelines along with amped up safety and cleaning guidelines."
The chain says a full list of the safety measures can be found at its website.
Things to know on Tuesday morning
- As crowds were seen around Atlanta over the weekend, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms delivered a message to those who think the pandemic has passed.
- Georgia's Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey emphasized the importance of masks and social distancing, as well.
- Those warnings came on the same day shoppers lined up to return to Lenox Square mall.
- Georgia schools, meanwhile, are bracing for potential budget cuts arising out of the pandemic.
MORE CORONAVIRUS HEADLINES