Who is on, off the list of ‘emerging’ Middle GA counties with high COVID-19 numbers
The Georgia Department of Public Health released updated COVID-19 case, laboratory testing and emergency department visitation data Monday, noting which counties have reported high transmission rates or are susceptible to significant spread.
According to the County Indicator Report, Bibb County has reported more than 6,900 cumulative coronavirus cases, including 147 between Oct. 31-Nov 6 and 138 between Nov. 7-Nov. 13. The county’s 14-day case rate per 100,000 people is 186, compared to Houston County at 179 and Peach County at 242. Bibb County is up from 165 in last week’s report for the 14-day case rate per 100,000 people.
Over the past two weeks, the county’s positivity rate for PCR COVID-19 tests was 8.4%: having a rate below 10% indicates a sufficient number of people are being tested. The percentage of emergency department visits in Bibb County ERs related to COVID-19 is at 2%.
The report listed Peach County as an “emerging county,” which means the county has reported a greater than 5% increase in COVID-19 cases from the previous seven-day reporting period. Bibb County has moved out of the emerging county list.
In Middle Georgia, Twiggs County, Monroe County and Peach County have indications of high coronavirus transmission, according to the health department. A high transmission county has a 14-day cases rate of more than 100 cases for 100,000 county residents and an average of more than 10% in positive tests results during that 14 day period. No other counties in Middle Georgia meet these criteria according to the report.
Flu Shot Drive
The Houston County Health Department is hosting a drive-thru flu clinic for all residents who have not received their annual flu shot from 3-5 p.m. Nov. 18 at 98 Cohen Walker Road in Warner Robins.
“We want everyone to have protection against the flu,” Macon-Bibb County Health Department Nurse Manager Chris Sikes said in a release. “This particular event for the un- and underinsured residents of our community gives everyone a chance to access an essential healthcare service. The annual flu shot is an essential part of staying healthy this part of the year.”
A face mask covering both the nose and mouth should be worn when receiving the flu shot. The flu shot will be free for all uninsured and underinsured residents. Those with insurance are asked to bring their insurance information but there will be no out-of-pocket charge for shots.
Middle Georgia Cases
The Georgia Department of Public Health reported 21,700 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Middle Georgia in its 3 p.m. update Tuesday.
Here are key takeaways:
Cases: 21,700. Bibb County has recorded the most cumulative positive cases with 7,011.
Deaths: 740. It’s important to note that these numbers indicate when deaths are reported to the Georgia Department of Public Health. It does not reflect when these deaths occurred.
Hospitalizations: In Region F, which includes Bibb County and much of Middle Georgia, 75.26% of hospital beds were in use, 81.57% of ICU beds were in use and 32% of adult ventilators were in use.
Cases per person: Baldwin County has the most cases per 100,000 with 5,489. Bibb is next with 4,621 cases per 100,000 people. Crawford has one of the lowest rates in the state, with 1,725 per 100,000.
County Indicator Report: Crawford, Peach, Upson, Pulaski and Wilkinson counties are listed as an emerging county. An emerging county has seen a greater than 5% increase in COVID cases from the previous seven day period.
The following is a breakdown of cumulative cases and deaths for counties in Middle Georgia.
- Bibb 7,032 cases - 214 deaths
- Houston 4,030 - 100
- Baldwin 2,439 - 68
- Laurens 2,142 - 104
Washington 923 - 16
Peach 873 - 27
- Monroe 843 - 59
Jones 704 - 18
Dodge 696 - 29
- Bleckley 535 - 29
- Wilkinson 402 - 18
- Pulaski 361 - 24
- Macon 273 - 14
- Twiggs 236 - 14
- Crawford 211 - 6
DPH reported 3,603 new cases across the state and 27 new deaths Tuesday.
This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 4:38 PM.