DPH urges to remain vigilant against COVID-19
♦ Many questions remain about the spread of the new coronavirus as the pandemic continues.
Georgia Department of Public Health officials say there is still a need to stay vigilant against the new coronavirus, whether it’s at the forefront of our minds or not.
Current events and time away from phrases like “shelter in place” and “essential businesses” showing up in news headlines does not mean the threat from COVID-19 is neutralized.
“I think the biggest thing right now is, many of us feel like the virus is gone and disappeared. We have to understand there is no on/off switch. It hasn’t disappeared. It’s still here,” said Logan Boss, Northwest Georgia Public Health District Public spokesman.
The number of total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Floyd County increased by seven overnight Wednesday to 356 on Thursday afternoon, according to the DPH — with 88 new cases since the beginning of June.
There was one new hospitalization reported in Floyd County on Thursday morning, bringing to five the number of COVID-19 patients in local hospitals.
They are all being treated at Redmond Regional Medical Center.
“In our local community, there has not been a significant increase in the numbers admitted for COVID-19, and we have a fairly low hospitalization rate for COVID-19, which is a good sign. But that’s today. Next week it may be a different story,” said Dr. Gary Voccio, health director for the Northwest Georgia public health district.
“It is still very early,” he told the Rome City Commission during its regular meeting Monday.
Boss said while there have been
positive trends in the fight against the new coronavirus locally, how the virus will react and grow is still unknown.
There are theories that, while the initial spike is more or less over, the virus could go dormant over the summer and then return in colder months with a second wave similar to the 1918 Spanish flu and the 2009 swine flu pandemics.
“The answer, as with so many things with this coronavirus, is we don’t really know,” Boss said. “We’ve never seen a coronavirus pandemic spread, so a lot of what we are watching is new, like the virus itself.”
Voccio strongly recommends that people continue practicing the three main tenets of preventing the spread of the virus — social distancing, wearing a mask where social distancing is difficult, and the strict sanitization of hands and hightouch surfaces at work and home.
Voccio acknowledged the recent spike in cases at the Floyd County courthouse as an example that the virus is still circulating in our area.
Seven staff members who work at the courthouse tested positive for COVID-19, and all activity in the building is shut down until June 22.
“They had their sanitization plans in place and were adhering to guidelines but, again, it still goes to show you what the virus can do,” Voccio said.