DPH reports little change in area COVID numbers

The Georgia Department of Public Health is still reporting 76 COVID-related deaths in Stephens County with 2,944 residents testing positive for the virus, since the beginning of the global pandemic.

The latest report was released Monday afternoon.

The latest report has Habersham County with 146 deaths and now 4,615 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 1,491 cases and 40 deaths, Hart County is reporting 1,695 cases and 36 deaths, and Banks County is reporting 33 deaths and 1,603 cases.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, there have been a total of 862,720 positive cases of the virus across the state of Georgia, of those, 59,779 have been hospitalized and the total death count due to complications of the virus has now risen to 17,017.