COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are dropping off across the state and locally, data from state and national agencies show.
Statewide, cases have dropped 90 percent since the surge at the beginning of January. The Georgia Department of Health reported that during the case surge at the beginning of 2022, the state logged around 21,269 COVID-19 cases. The latest statewide report shows 1,948 cases.
Data from District 2 Public Health shows similar trends in the majority of Northeast Georgia’s counties, with cases dropping significantly in 11 of the 13 counties the district covers. Towns and Union Counties are seeing cases spike again.
Click here to view the full District 2 report
Vaccination rates are rising statewide, according to data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Habersham’s vaccination rate has increased slightly from the beginning of the year, rising from 41 percent of citizens being fully vaccinated to 42 percent being fully vaccinated.
RELATED: Rural parts of Georgia, where vaccination rates were low, got hit harder by COVID-19’s delta wave
Cases are dropping off in Habersham County Schools, too. Habersham County Schools Director of Nursing and Health Services, Crystal Holcomb, reported a total of 11 COVID-19 cases system-wide last week, with 7 student cases and 4 total staff cases. 8 of Habersham’s 14 schools are completely case-free.
| System Data Week Ending 2/11/22 | ||
| Active Student COVID-19 Cases | 7 | |
| Active School Staff COVID-19 Cases | 2 | |
| Active Non-School Staff COVID-19 Cases | 2 | |
| Elementary | Active Student Cases | Active Staff Cases |
| Baldwin | 1 | 0 |
| Clarkesville | 0 | 0 |
| Cornelia | 0 | 0 |
| Demorest | 0 | 0 |
| Fairview | 0 | 1 |
| Hazel Grove | 1 | 0 |
| Level Grove | 0 | 0 |
| Woodville | 1 | 0 |
| Secondary | Active Student Cases | Active Staff Cases |
| North Habersham | 1 | 1 |
| South Habersham | 0 | 0 |
| Wilbanks | 0 | 0 |
| Ninth Grade Academy | 0 | 0 |
| Success Academy | 0 | 0 |
| Habersham Central | 3 | 0 |
The CDC forecasts that hospitalization rates in Georgia will continue to drop through March, too.
Even with cases dropping, the GDPH says that vaccination is important.
“Georgians who were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated were 1.4 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 and 5.9 times more likely to die from COVID-19,” the agency said in a Tweet.
