Hospitalizations, new COVID cases, show slight decline

♦ The number of local deaths from the rampant infection reaches 24 in January.

The number of new COVID-19 cases in Floyd County appears to be at the beginning of a decline.

While still very high, the number of new infections within the past two weeks dropped just below the 600case mark. As of Monday, there were 597 new infections reported in the past 14 days.

The rampant spread of the virus beginning in early November showed itself through high hospitalization rates and the two deadliest months in this area.

As of Monday, 24 Floyd County residents have died in the month of January alone. That brings the total number of confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in Floyd County to 133. There are also 22 additional deaths reported that are suspected to be from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

A hopefully declining case rate may translate to less stress on the resources and manpower at local healthcare facilities.

On Monday, there were 54 COVID-19 positive patients at Floyd Medical Center and 56 at Redmond Regional Medical Center, according to a Floyd County Emergency Management Agency report.

That’s down from a census of 70-plus COVID-19 patients at each hospital, which was the norm over the past couple of months, although it’s still much higher than in much of 2020.

In the state’s healthcare preparedness Region C — which includes Floyd, Chattooga,

Bartow, Harrison and Polk counties — the percentage of COVID-19 positive patients has dropped slightly, to 29.1%.

However, overall hospital bed usage and ICU bed usage in the region is still high at 97.4% and 90.26% respectively.

Schools are still struggling with the spread of the virus as well. As of the end of last week, Rome City Schools had 639 students quarantined after a possible exposure, the bulk of which were at Rome Middle, West Central and East Central. There were 56 staff members quarantined as well. The system also reported 13 new positive COVID-19 infections.

Floyd County Schools reported no new cases or quarantines as of Monday but still had 470 students and staff members quarantined after a possible exposure.