Little change reported by DPH in area COVID numbers

The Georgia Department of Public Health is now reporting 79 COVID-related deaths in Stephens County with 2,951 residents testing positive for the virus, since the beginning of the global pandemic.

The latest report was released Wednesday afternoon.

The latest report has Habersham County with 150 deaths and now 4,623 positive cases of the virus.

In other neighboring counties, Franklin County has had 42 deaths and 2,318 positive cases, Rabun County is now reporting 1,513 cases and 41 deaths, Hart County is reporting 1,702 cases and 37 deaths, and Banks County is reporting 33 deaths and 1,617 cases.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, there have been a total of 871,460 positive cases of the virus across the state of Georgia, of those, 60,788 have been hospitalized and the total death count due to complications of the virus has now risen to 17,272.