The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have confirmed three more cases of COVID-19 in Georgia.
The governor’s office issued a press release Saturday updating the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state.
One individual is from Cobb County who recently returned from Italy and is isolated at home, the release states. The second individual is from Fulton County and is hospitalized. Officials say it’s not clear how they were exposed to the virus.
“Testing for these two cases was done solely by the CDC, prior to the Georgia Public Health Laboratory (GPHL) having the capacity to test for COVID-19,” the press release states.
The CDC also confirmed the positive results of a test conducted on a woman in Floyd County. DPH conducted the test on March 5. The woman is a patient at Floyd Medical Center in Rome.
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With these latest cases, there are now five confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Georgia. The first two were reported in Fulton County.
Across the U.S., at least 400 people are now confirmed to have the disease. The CDC is encouraging older people and people with severe chronic medical conditions to “stay at home as much as possible.” The advice is posted to the CDC website.
Risk still low
State public health officials are now waiting on the CDC to confirm test results on a patient in Gwinnett County. The individual tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus according to results from the Georgia Public Health Laboratory (GPHL). The initial testing was completed by GPHL on March 6. The individual recently returned from Italy and was self-monitoring at home, and is now isolated at home, the governor’s office says.
“DPH is prepared to mitigate the spread of this virus in our state, and we are aggressively working to identify anyone who may have had contact with these individuals,” says Georgia’s Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey.
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Governor Brian Kemp says federal and state officials continue to work closely together to conduct testing and determine the extent of exposure for confirmed cases of COVID-19. He stresses, “The risk to Georgians remains low. We ask Georgians to stay vigilant, utilize best practices to mitigate health risk, and remain calm.”
“Despite these new cases, the overall risk of COVID-19 to the general public remains low,” Toomey says, “but each new case of COVID-19 in Georgia reinforces the fact that we should all be practicing basic prevention measures that are extremely effective in limiting the spread of COVID-19 and all respiratory illnesses.”
Prevention measures
Officials continue to urge Georgians to follow these basic prevention measures:
- Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least twenty seconds.
- If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
If you have recently traveled to areas where there are ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 and you develop fever with cough and shortness of breath within fourteen days of your travel, or if you have had contact with someone who is suspected to have COVID-19, you should stay home and call your health care provider or local health department right away. Be sure to call before going to a doctor’s office, emergency room, or urgent care center and tell them about your recent travel and symptoms.
For up to date accurate and reliable information about COVID-19, visit the Georgia Department of Public Health and CDC.
This article has been updated to include the latest national COVID-19 statistics.
