Governor Brian Kemp’s rollback of COVID-19 restrictions in Georgia takes effect today. That includes the elimation of the ban on gatherings as well as shelter in place requirements, in addition to the relaxation of safety measures. The complete Executive Order is posted online at www.gov.georgia.gov.
Dr. Gary Voccio, health director of the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Northwest Health District, states that confirmed coronavirus cases have been trending downward in recent days, due in part to less testing and more people being vaccinated. Northwest Georgia’s positivity rate is currently around six percent; statewide, the rate has hovered around five percent in the past month and around one percent during the past week. Hospitalizations are down, too, says Dr. Voccio.
Dr. Voccio attests that precautions must still be taken to avoid another spike in cases as we head towards summer.
A total of 991 new cases of coronavirus and 67 more virus-related fatalities were reported in Georgia on Wednesday by the state’s Department of Public Health.
According to the latest update by the DPH issued just before 3 pm, there have been 858,268 confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide. The state’s death toll now stands at 16,827. In Floyd County, there were 9,840 confirmed cases and 176 fatalities. Gwinnett County had this state’s highest number of confirmed cases with 84,089, and Fulton County had the most deaths with 1,216.
As of the most recent update to the vaccine dashboard Wednesday afternoon, 4,351,344 vaccines had been administered statewide; 15 percent of Georgians have been fully vaccinated.
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.
Floyd Medical Center has announced plans for a pair of community COVID-19 vaccination events. The first is slated for Friday, April 9th from 10 am until 1 pm at the Rome Community Kitchen, 4 Calhoun Avenue. The second is set for Tuesday, April 13th from 2 pm to 5:45 pm at West Rome Baptist Church, 914 Shorter Avenue. No registration is required. The one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine will be given at both locations; therefore, a second shot will not be required.