NORTHWEST GEORGIA PUBLIC HEALTH PIO SAYS THAT ‘WE ARE NOT OUT OF THE WOODS’ WITH CORONAVIRUS

Northwest Georgia is far from ‘out of the woods’ with the coronavirus, asserts Logan Boss, Public Information Officer for the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Northwest Health District. The war against this virus could wage on for several more weeks, perhaps even months or years. Boss uses a baseball analogy – we are now in the top of the second inning of a nine-inning game… maybe just the bottom of the first.

Case counts of COVID-19 have decreased locally and statewide since around April 14th, but that curve has yet to flatten, adds Boss. By the way, what does it mean to ‘flatten the curve’? Boss indicates that this is not about reducing the number of infections; instead, it’s about spreading out the infections to ensure that hospitals are not overrun.

Boss states that efforts such as social distancing and sheltering in place have turned COVID-19 from a fast-moving to a slow-moving pandemic stretched out over a period of time.

Here is a reminder that any Northwest Georgian with symptoms of the virus, such as a fever, dry cough, or shortness of breath, may receive free testing by public health at one of four sites that have been established in Bartow, Floyd, Paulding and Walker Counties. The following individuals without symptoms may also be tested: all healthcare workers, first responders, and other critical infrastructure workers that have been exposed to COVID-19; and residents of a long-term care facility or other group residential setting with an outbreak of COVID-19. All eligible parties should call (706) 802-5329 any time between the hours of 8:30 am and 7 pm on Monday through Friday and from 8:30 am until noon on Saturday to be screened for testing.