Stephens County’s COVID-19 cases increase by 28 over weekend

The Georgia Department of Public Health is now reporting a total of 556 cases of COVID-19 in Stephens County, with 10 total deaths due to the virus.

Since Friday, there has been an increase of 28 cases of COVID-19 in Stephens County.

The Department of Public Health is reporting that Habersham County has 48 fatalities due to the virus and 1,037 positive cases of the virus.

Locally, Stephens County Hospital and its facilities have tested 4,115 individuals for the virus.

Of those, 789 tests have come back positive with 619 patients receiving positive results, 3,276 received negative results, and 50 individuals are still awaiting their results.

Stephens County Hospital Chief Executive Officer Mike Hester says the hospital currently has nine patients hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, and six others who are hospitalized pending test results.

He says in the past week two patients have died at Stephens County Hospital as a result of complications from COVID-19.

He adds that as many hospitals across the state and the country are experiencing, Stephens County Hospital is also seeing an increase in the number of people presenting with severe, life-threatening symptoms due to COVID-19.

In other neighboring counties, Franklin County has had 365 cases and four deaths, Banks County has a total of 242 cases and three deaths, Rabun County has 191 cases and three deaths, and Hart County has 266 cases and two deaths.

Across the state of Georgia, the Department of Public Health is reporting a total of 193,177 cases, of those, 19,064 have been hospitalized and 3,840 have died from complications of the virus.