New local COVID cases keep on dropping

Gordon County’s string of good news continues — COVID cases have continued to dwindle over the last week, following statewide and nationwide trends.

Last week, Gordon County saw nine new cases and no deaths. Across Georgia, 1,635 new cases and 36 deaths were reported.

Gordon County’s Community Level has remained in 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 have kept on dropping locally, down to 25.88 cases per 100,000 in population. New COVID hospital admissions have also dropped, down to 8.1 per 100k, and only 3.2% of staffed inpatient beds are in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19. In total, there have been 13,776 cases and 260 deaths in Gordon County.

These numbers all continue to follow national trends, where cases, deaths, and hospitalizations have continued to decline over the past couple of weeks. Over 100 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the United States, and over 1.1 million deaths.

To schedule a COVID-19 vaccine or booster appointment, those interested can also log on to dph. georgia.gov/covid-vaccine 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, log on to dph.georgia.gov/covidtesting.