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COVID-19 Update
The Georgia Department of Health has reported six cases of COVID-19 and no virus related deaths in Fannin County as of Wednesday, April 1 at 7 p.m.
According to the department, there are 4,748 confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide. They define a confirmed case as a person who has tested positive for 2019 novel coronavirus.
58% of these cases are people ages 18-59, 35% are people ages 60+, 1% are 17 and under and the remainder is listed as unknown.
Of these statewide cases, there are 1,013 people currently hospitalized, and the state has reported 154 deaths as a result of the virus at this time.
The department reports that 20,328 tests have been administered across the state. 18,228 of these were tested in a commercial lab, while 2,100 were tested in the Georgia Public Health Lab.
The North Georgia Health District is unable to release information regarding individual cases in Fannin County because of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Public Information Officer Jennifer King said.
"Cases that have been tested do not represent everyone in our communities who may carry this virus," King said. "The virus can be transmitted by people who don't yet have symptoms and may not even know themselves they are infected. COVID-19 is now transmitting person-to-person in all our communities and can be breathed in through the air by being near an infected person, especially if they are coughing or sneezing, or by touching a surface where the virus has spread then touching our face. So it's important that we all take the same precautions at all times, everywhere we go."
King provided the following guidelines to help prevent the spread of the virus:
- Stay at home if at all possible;
- Avoid gatherings of more than 10 people and practice social distancing by maintaining 6 feet of physical separation from others at all times;
- Wash your hands frequently 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 coughs and sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash; and,
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.