Cases low locally, trending up across the nation
COVID case counts remain low locally as Georgia fully transitions to weekly data reporting.
From April 15 through April 20, Gordon County saw two new cases and no deaths. Across Georgia, 1,930 new cases and 71 deaths were reported.
Cases are trending up nationwide, with the national 7-day moving average up 60% since the beginning of April. Deaths remain down and hospitalizations appear steady.
Gordon County’s Community Level, per the CDC, has not changed in the last few weeks. The county is in the Low category, meaning that individuals should stay up to date on their COVID vaccines, get tested if they have symptoms, and wear a mask if they have symptoms, a positive test, or COVID exposure. Around 94.1% of the country remains at a Low Community Level.
Another lineage of the Omicron variant, BA.2.12.1 is also circulating, with its share of new cases having doubled since the beginning of the month — it makes up around 19% of the southeast’s new cases, and is regarded as more transmissible than the dominant variant, Omicron BA.2.
Most people with COVID-19 are fully recovered within a few weeks. However, per the WHO, between 10% and 20% of cases will go on to experience what is known as “long COVID.”
Those who have long COVID may be known as “long-haulers,” and will experience symptoms long after they are no longer actively sick. Symptoms range from mild to more severe, and more severe cases can even be qualified as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Symptoms can include tiredness and fatigue, difficulty thinking and concentrating or “brain fog”, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, headache, dizziness on standing, heart palpitations or fast heart rate, chest pain, cough, joint or muscle pain, depression or anxiety, fever, and loss of taste and smell.
Other symptoms can include lung, heart, and kidney damage, neurological damage, mental or emotional health issues, and damage to the circulatory system. Clots that block blood flow to the heart muscle and larger clots which may cause heart attacks and strokes are also possible, per Mayo Clinic.
There is also the chance of as-yet unknown side effects that will only be discovered later down the line as more people are infected and come out on the other side with long COVID.
Currently, there is no way to tell who will get long COVID and who will recover normally. The mechanism behind long COVID is not clear, and it is also unknown whether or not symptoms are temporary or permanent.
The only way to prevent long COVID is to keep from getting sick with the disease. Vaccination, masking, avoiding crowds, testing to prevent the spread, social distancing, and handwashing are all steps that can be taken to prevent getting sick, per the CDC.
To schedule a COVID-19 vaccine or booster appointment, log on to dph.georgia.
gov/covid-vaccine or call 888-457-0186 for the Health Department Vaccine Scheduling Resource Line.
Anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, or those who have been in close contact with an individual with COVID-19, should be tested regardless of vaccination status. At DPH/Mako Medical test sites, testing is free of charge. Each household can order four free athome tests at covidtests.gov.
To find a COVID-19 test site, log on to dph.georgia. gov/covidtesting.