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There have been 400 total confirmed COVID-19 cases in White County since the start of the pandemic, according to the update on Monday, Aug. 17, on the Georgia Department of Public Health's website.
There have been 400 total confirmed COVID-19 cases in White County since the start of the pandemic, according to the update on Monday, Aug. 17, on the Georgia Department of Public Health's website. In White County there have been 65 hospitalizations and seven deaths attributed to COVID-19.
According to the DPH website, the deaths include:
- 65-year-old man with “chronic conditions”
- 90+ woman with "chronic conditions,"
- 26-year-old man with no chronic conditions,
- 81-year-old male with chronic conditions,
- 80 year-old woman with no chronic conditions
- 43 year-old woman with it being unknown if she had any chronic conditions
- 60-year-old man with chronic conditions
No other information was provided. Federal medical privacy laws prohibit release of information to media identifying those who have been diagnosed.
White County emergency management is tracking recoveries. There have been 299 cases of recovery from COVID-19 as of Tuesday, Aug. 18, according to the new county report. A patient is considered to have recovered 21 days after a confirmed case report is provided to the county. This information will be issued once a week, said County Emergency Management & Public Safety Director David Murphy.
Total confirmed cases listed in the daily Georgia DPH reports do not differentiate between how many are active infections and those who have recovered. A spokesman with the state public health's district office previously said recovery cases were not tracked by the department because many people infected with COVID-19 do not seek medical care and, therefore, any number they would have would not be accurate. Federal medical privacy laws prohibit release of information to media identifying those who have been diagnosed. Health officials have also said that some with the coronavirus might not show symptoms of COVID-19.
Starting June 2, the Georgia Department of Public Health is now providing updates at 3 p.m. on their website. Confirmed patients are listed based on their residence. The website does not add new cases in real time, and there can be a lag in when a positive test is determined by a local healthcare provider and the state's reporting of a confirmed case in the online update.
Health officials are urging the public to help stop further spread of the coronavirus:
• Practice social distancing – keep at least 6 feet between yourself and other people.
• Wash your hands – use soap and water and scrub for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (60% alcohol) if soap and water aren’t readily available.
• Wear a mask – The CDC now recommends the use of face masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19, especially where socials distancing is difficult to maintain (grocery stores, pharmacies, etc.), and especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. The CDC also advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.
Continuing coverage of the COVID-19 can be found on whitecountnews.net and in the latest edition of the White County News.