DPH continues to report little change in area COVID numbers

The Georgia Department of Public Health is now reporting 76 COVID-related deaths in Stephens County with 2,938 residents testing positive for the virus, since the beginning of the global pandemic.

The latest report was released Thursday afternoon.

The latest report has Habersham County with 144 deaths and now 4,609 positive cases of the virus.

In other neighboring counties, Franklin County has had 41 deaths and 2,312 positive cases, Rabun County is now reporting 1,480 cases and 39 deaths, Hart County is reporting 1,693 cases and 36 deaths, and Banks County is reporting 33 deaths and 1,601 cases.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, there have been a total of 859,388 positive cases of the virus across the state of Georgia, of those, 59,481 have been hospitalized and the total death count due to complications of the virus has now risen to 16,886.