DPH reports 44 cases of COVID-19 in Stephens County

The Georgia Department of Public Health is now reporting 44 cases of COVID-19 in Toccoa-Stephens County.

As of 12 p.m. Thursday afternoon, the Department of Public Health updated its website to reflect the most current numbers.

Habersham County has been hit the hardest with 130 positive cases of the virus and three fatalities due to complications from the virus.

Locally, at Stephens County Hospital, staff have tested 240 individuals for COVID-19.

Of those, 28 tests have come back positive, 149 received negative results, and 63 are still awaiting their results.

According to Stephens County Hospital Chief Executive Officer Mike Hester, the hospital is currently treating three hospitalized patients who are positive for COVID-19.

On Friday, Stephens County had its first death due to complications of COVID-19.

In other neighboring counties, Banks County has a total of 16 cases, Rabun County has nine, Franklin County has 14, and Hart County has six cases.

Across the state of Georgia, the Department of Public Health is reporting a total of 21,512 cases, of those, 4,069 have been hospitalized and 872 have died from complications of the virus.

Both the Georgia Department of Public Health and Stephens County Hospital continue to post daily updates on their websites at dph.georgia.gov and stephenscountyhospital.com, respectively.