New cases of COVID-19 nearly double statewide

As Christmas looms closer, Georgia is seeing a massive spike in new cases of COVID-19.

This past week, Gordon County saw 69 new cases and one death. Across Georgia, 15,024 new cases and 147 deaths were reported.

For comparison, the previous week, Gordon County saw 53 new cases and three deaths while the state saw 7,727 cases and 149 deaths. The week prior, Georgia had 6,424 new cases and 120 deaths with Gordon reporting 41 cases and no deaths.

Case numbers this week are nearly double the previous week, with deaths remaining relatively unchanged. This is expected, as increases in deaths tend to lag behind increasing case numbers.

Gordon County has seen a marked increase in cases, as well, though it is smaller than the statewide increase. There was a thirty percent increase in cases from the week prior, up to 69 cases from 53.

As of Dec. 17, Gordon County Schools reported six cases in students and no cases in staff. Calhoun City Schools reported one case in students and one case in staff. Countrywide, the United States has surpassed 50 million cases and 800,000 deaths. Georgia has had 1.3 million cases with 26,000 deaths, while Gordon County nears 9,000 cases and 200 deaths.

Both school systems saw a decrease in the total number of cases going into their Christmas holiday.

One year ago, Georgia received its first shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine, about 6,000 doses. Small beginnings have led to big strides: 6 million Georgians have had at least one shot while 5.5 million have been fully vaccinated. 1.2 million have received their booster.

“Countless lives have been saved thanks to the COVID vaccine,” said Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D., M.P.H., commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health. “A year ago, the vaccine couldn’t come soon enough — it gave us hope and a path