Georgia now has 64 coronavirus cases with more testing on the way, governor says
COVID-19 cases in the state of Georgia spiked to their highest level in a 24-hour period since the outbreak began, Governor Brian Kemp announced Saturday morning.
“As of this morning, there are now 64 cases of COVID-19 in Georgia, which is our largest increase over a 24-hour period to date,” Kemp said.
Kemp declared a public health emergency for the state on Friday and signed the order Saturday following President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency in regards to COVID-19.
Before Saturday’s announcement there were 42 cases in Georgia, according to Georgia Department of Public Health. Many of the cases are from individuals in and around the Metro Atlanta area.
The state lab is currently processing 100 specimens per day for COVID-19 and Kemp says the processing will double to 200 by the end of the week with the arrival of new equipment and employees.
The state is also working on establishing independent testing sites in every major region in the state, Kemp said.
The breakdown of cases by county as of March 14 are below:
- Cobb: 15
- Fulton: 11
- Dekalb: 8
- Bartow: 7
- Cherokee: 5
- Fayette: 4
- Floyd: 3
- Coweta: 2
- Gordon: 2
- Gwinnett: 2
- Lee: 1
- Henry: 1
- Lowndes: 1
- Polk: 1
- Charlton: 1
In Cobb, Bartow and Dekalb counties, the number of COVID-19 cases doubled over night. Kemp urges the public to remain vigilant during the outbreak and to take precautionary measures to prevent infection and spread, especially since many of the cases don’t originate from traveling.
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This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 11:41 AM with the headline "Georgia now has 64 coronavirus cases with more testing on the way, governor says."