STAFF REPORT :::
Five more Georgia residents have tested positive for COVID-19 in testing conducted by the Department of Public Health Laboratory.
Those results are considered presumptive positives and have been forwarded to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation.
These five latest cases involve one resident each from Charlton and Fulton counties and three from Cobb County.
Four of those five – all except the Fulton County resident – are hospitalized.
One of the Cobb County patients has a history of travel outside the country, but the source of the remaining four infections remains unknown.
Georgia currently has six confirmed cases of COVID-19 including three in Fulton County and one each in Floyd, Polk and Cobb counties.
State officials are now awaiting CDC confirmation on 16 presumptive positive test results from the DPH Laboratory.
Those include three patients in Fulton County, six in Cobb County, two each in Dekalb and Gwinnett counties and one each in Fayette, Cherokee and Charlton counties.
A statement from Governor Brian Kemps office says that moving forward, his office and the DPH will update COVID-19 case numbers on Twitter. That information will be available at @GovKemp. Information from the Department of Public Health will be available at @GaDPH.
Authorities say the overall risk of COVID-19 to the general public remains low, but they are now advising that elderly people and individuals with chronic medical conditions may be at increased risk.
All Georgians are advised to follow the following basic prevention measures:
Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 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 a fever with cough and shortness of breath within 14 days of your travel, or if you have had contact with someone who is suspected to have COVID-19, 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 travel and symptoms.
For additional information about COVID-19, please visit dph.georgia.gov/novelcoronavirus or cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html.
