COVID cases spike after holidays

Georgia is experiencing another surge in COVID-19 cases, as is White County.

The county’s seven-day moving average of confirmed cases was at 25.6 cases per day, according to a Jan. 4 update from the Georgia Department of Public Health. That’s up from the average of 7.9 reported Dec. 28. That’s the highest the average has been since 29.9 on Sept. 13, 2021, when the average was coming down from 39.4 on Sept. 8.

The Jan. 4 state public health update lists 134 confirmed cases diagnosed from PCR testing early in the month. There 174 cases reported in December and 79 in November.

White County is shown as having 4,861 confirmed cases diagnosed from PCR testing and 118 confirmed deaths attributed to COVID-19 during the pandemic. (DPH notes only positives from PCR tests are used to identify confirmed cases.) In addition, there have been 385 positives reported from antigen rapid tests and 17 probable COVID-19 deaths, according to DPH.

State public health reported that 11,282 of the county’s estimated residents are now considered fully vaccinated, around 38% of the population, as of Dec. 28. A total of 12,191 people are listed as having received at least one vaccine dose, about 41% of the population. The report states 4,554 residents  have received an additional booster dose.

DPH reports that 53% of Georgians are considered fully vaccinated and 61% have received at least one dose.

The District 2 Public Health office has encouraged residents to get vaccinated and use all mitigation strategies available to minimize the burden on hospitals, families and communities. That includes wearing a mask while indoors, getting a booster shot if eligible, washing hands often, socially distancing when possible and getting a COVID test if you are feeling sick or if you have been around someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.