Slower Rate of Cases in Latest Covid-19 Report

The Wednesday Covid-19 report from the Georgia Department of Public Health showed just a slight rise in cases in this area of Northeast Georgia.

The latest Georgia Department of Public Health report shows Stephens County with 862 total positive cases of Covid-19 and 27 deaths.

Locally, Stephens County Hospital and its facilities have administered 4,818 COVID-19 tests.

Of those, 950 tests have come back positive with 755 patients receiving positive results, 3,823 received negative results, and 45 individuals are still awaiting their results.

Stephens County Hospital Chief Executive Officer Mike Hester says the hospital currently has four patients hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, and five others hospitalized awaiting results.

In neighboring counties, DPH is now reporting 63 deaths in Habersham County, and 1,371 total positive cases of the virus, Rabun County has 6 deaths and a total of 287 cases, Hart County has 11 deaths and has had 423 cases, Franklin County has had 569 cases and 11 deaths and Banks County has a total of 389 cases and 6 deaths.

The positive case and death rate across the state of Georgia was also only up slightly. The Department of Public Health is reporting a total of 274,613, of those, 25,025 have been hospitalized and 5,795 have died from complications of the virus.

The start of the high school football season is set for tomorrow and some cases of Covid-19 have affected two of the teams in Region-8 AAA, the Region that Stephens County is a part. East Jackson has cancelled their first two games of the season, and Elbert County announced that there were cases of the virus inside the Blue Devil program so the game with Hart County was cancelled. The Bulldogs did pick up another opponent quickly and will now be travelling to Jesup to face Wayne County on Friday night.