KEMP SIGNS NEW EXECUTIVE ORDERS PERTAINING TO COVID-19; POLK MEDICAL TO OFFER SATURDAY VACCINES

Governor Brian Kemp on Wednesday signed Executive Orders pertaining to COVID-19 in Georgia. As of April 8th, a ban on gatherings will be eliminated and shelter-in-place requirements will be dropped, as outlined in one of those three orders. Another extends the Public Health State of Emergency through April 30.

A total of 1,162 new cases of coronavirus and 76 virus-related deaths were reported across Georgia on Wednesday afternoon by the state Department of Public Health.

According to the latest update by the DPH issued just before 3 pm, there have been 852,395 confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide. The state’s death toll now stands at 16,607. In Floyd County, there were 9,782 confirmed cases and 174 fatalities. Gwinnett County had this state’s highest number of confirmed cases with 83,483, and Fulton County had the most deaths with 1,187.

As of the most recent update to the DPH’s vaccine dashboard on Wednesday, 3,779,690 vaccines had been administered statewide.

Get additional information about COVID-19 and vaccination in Georgia via the state Department of Public Health’s website at www.dph.georgia.gov. All Georgians age 16 and up are now eligible to be vaccinated.

Polk Medical Center will offer the COVID-19 vaccine on several Saturdays, according to a media release from Floyd Public Relations. It will be offered on Saturday, April 10th from 8 am to noon and Saturday, May 1st from 8 am to 1:30 pm at the hospital. Since Polk Medical is providing the Pfizer vaccine, which requires two doses three weeks apart, second doses will be scheduled for May 22nd. To make an appointment, visit www.floyd.org/vaccine. Those with questions should call (770) 749-4125. Appointments will be made for a second dose upon receipt of the first dose. These Saturday vaccine clinics are in partnership with Cedartown, Rockmart, and Polk County governments.