COVID-19 claims 9th Floyd resident
♦ Bartow fatalities rise to 24.
A ninth Floyd County resident died from COVID-19 Monday and four new cases were confirmed, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
The recent increase in testing will lead to the discovery of more positive cases, according to local officials.
Monday’s DPH update had four new cases in Floyd County since the Sunday evening report, bringing the county’s total number up to 126. That’s an overall increase of seven in the span of seven days.
The DPH announced last week that four new testing sites in Northwest Georgia are now open — with one each in Floyd, Bartow, Paulding and Walker counties.
Logan Boss, communications director for the Northwest Georgia Public Health District, said that increased availability for COVID-19 testing will result in increases in positive cases.
Floyd County EMA Director Tim Herrington adds that it will also lead to more negative results.
“Right now, the numbers that we’re getting, they’re kind of skewed a little bit,” Herrington said, referring to the previously low testing availability. “But I feel like with this additional testing we’ll get a better idea of what we have locally ...”
Bartow County, which was one of the early hot sports for the virus, reported five new cases Monday, for a total of 255. Two more residents there died, bringing the number to 24.
Polk County went from 30 to 36 cases but has yet to report a fatality. Chattooga’s count remained at 9 and one death.
The DPH adjusted Gordon County’s COVID-19 numbers Monday night, keeping the number of cases at 64 — the same as Sunday — after initially announcing three new cases there. The death toll, however, rose by one to a total of six residents.
Hospitals in Floyd County reported 20 patients confirmed positive Monday, 23 who tested negative and 15 awaiting results. That count could include people who live in other counties.
Herrington said the data he is getting from local hospitals is leveling off some, an indication that social distancing and health initiatives adopted early on are making an impact. But there will be further investigation needed before things are completely back to normal.
“We’re still in the infancy stage of the COVID virus. We don’t know what is going to happen in the summer, if the virus will go dormant like the flu or mutate into something else and come back this fall,” Herrington said. “We want to make sure we’re taking the necessary steps that we’re going to be safe and healthy coming out of this.”
He said there will also be a need to investigate the nation and the states’ response to the virus and determine what works best in case there is another outbreak.
“We’re a long way from a solution to this ongoing problem.”