North Central Health District

Five New Presumptive Positive COVID-19 Cases in Georgia

Posted March 11, 2020 by Michael Hokanson

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is awaiting confirmatory testing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on five new presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in Georgia.

The additional cases are in Charlton County, Fulton County and three in Cobb County. All but one individual (Fulton) are hospitalized. One of the Cobb presumptive positives has a travel history outside of the country, the sources of the other infections are unknown.

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 and presumed positive cases of COVID-19 are broken down by county as follows:

Confirmed COVID-19 (6)

• Fulton County  3
• Floyd County 1
• Polk County 1
• Cobb 1

Presumptive Positive COVID-19 (16)

• Fulton 3
• Cobb 6
• Fayette 1
• DeKalb 2
• Gwinnett 2
• Cherokee 1
• Charlton 1

The overall risk of COVID-19 to the general public remains low, although elderly people and individuals with chronic medical conditions may be have increased risk for COVID-19. The best prevention measures for any respiratory virus are:

• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

If you have recently traveled to areas where there are ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 and develop fever with cough and shortness of breath within 14 days of your travel, or if you have had contact with someone who is suspected to have COVID-19, stay home and call your health care provider or local health department right away. Be sure to call before going to a doctor’s office, emergency room, or urgent care center and tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms.

Follow DPH’s Facebook and Twitter pages for updated numbers of COVID-19 cases in Georgia.

For accurate and reliable information about COVID-19 log on to https://dph.georgia.gov/novelcoronavirus or https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.