New local COVID cases very low
New COVID cases have kept on dropping locally and across the state over the past week.
Last week, Gordon County saw seven new cases and one death. Across Georgia, 2,082 new cases and 49 deaths were reported.
As cases continue to trend back down, Gordon County’s Community Level has fallen back to the Low category. Per CDC guidelines, 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. Those using public transport are also recommended to mask.
Case rates dropped down to 36.23 per 100,000 in population last week, with new hospitalizations down to 9.7 per 100k. Approximately 3.9% of staffed inpatient beds were in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19 patients. All of those figures are down from the week prior.
“At this point in the pandemic, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have been decreasing for several weeks, and much of the country has protection against circulating strains either through vaccination, previous infection, or a combination of both,” said the Centers for Disease Control in its weekly COVID date review.
They’re working to streamline vaccinations by phasing out the old shots — monovalent vaccines which were based on the original strain of COVID — and using the new bivalent vaccines going forward, which are based off of Omicron subvariants.
“(I)t’s important to remember that new subvariants continue to emerge—and even if you had COVID-19 before, reinfection is possible and can cause serious illness,” the CDC said. “We also know that protection from infection-related immunity wanes over time, just like it does from vaccination.”
To schedule a COVID-19 vaccine or booster appointment, those interested can also log on to dph.georgia.gov/covidvaccine or call 888-457-0186 for the Health Department Vaccine Scheduling Resource
Line. For more information on vaccination and boosters, visit itsthatsimplega.ga.gov.
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.
Four more free at-home test kits are now available per household through USPS. Those who would like those free kits can visit covid.gov/ tests and input their information to get tests shipped straight to their front door.
At DPH/Mako Medical test sites, testing is free of charge. Those in Gordon County can also find a PCR testing kiosk within AdventHealth Gordon. To find a COVID-19 test site, visit dph.georgia.gov/covidtesting.