The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WhiteHouse report: Virus still spreading in social gatherings
Officials urge face coverings around friends, family.
Friend and family gatherings continue to contribute to spread of the coronavirus, a newWhiteHouse report says, warning Georgians against unmaskedprivate gatherings.
Georgia has made significant progress since the summer surge in new COVID- 19 cases, the latest WhiteHouse CoronavirusTaskForcereport said. But officials urgedGeorgians to wear face coverings around friends and family, warning of the risk of asymptomatic spread.
“People must remember that seemingly uninfected family members and friends may be infected but asymptomatic,” the latest task force report, dated Sunday, said. “Exposure to asymptomatic cases can easily leadto spread as people unmask in private gatherings. Encourageoutdoor activitiesandensuremaskand physical distancing messages for all residents, both in public
and private spaces.”
The White House warning follows a plateau in newcases reported in Georgia over the past two weeks and ahead of a campaign rally President Trump plans to attend in Macon on Friday.
On Tuesday, Georgia reported 993 net new cases and 25 net new deaths. To date, Georgia has reported 333,304 cases of COVID- 19 and 7,454 deaths attributed to the disease. The state said 1,330 people are currently hospitalized for COVID- 19.
The current seven- day rolling
average of new cases of 1,236isdownabouttwo- thirds from the July peak, an AJC analysis of state data found. Hospitalizationsalso aredown fromthe peak by about 60%.
But while Georgia has improvedinbothmetricssince the peak, Georgia’s seven- day rolling average of new cases remains about double what it was at the low point at the endofMay, amonth afterGov. Brian Kemp relaxed shelterinplace orders.
The rolling average of people currently hospitalized is about 57% higher than the bottom in early June.
The U. S. has reported increasing cases since Sept. 13, with case growth in more than three dozen states.
Georgia remains in the orange zone for cases and theyellowzonefortestpositivity, unchanged fromthe past two weeks, the White House report said. Georgia ranked 33rd nationally in the seven days ended Friday in the rate of newcases of the coronavirus and 26th for test positivity ( 5.8%).
A week ago, Georgia reported the 28th highest case rate and ranked 21st in positivity.
“Georgia has made progress and needs to ensure the gainsaresustained,” theWhite House report said. “Mitigationefforts should continueto include maskwearing, physical distancing, hand hygiene, avoiding crowds in public and social gatherings in private, and ensuring flu immunizations.”
The latest White House report continues to focus on increasing testing, tackling outbreaks in college towns and reducing spread within long- term care facilities.