Decatur County hits 42 cases as rest of Georgia continues to rise

Published 4:20 pm Tuesday, April 14, 2020

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Decatur County has 42 confirmed cases of Coronavirus, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health on Tuesday, an increase of 16 cases since last Friday at noon.

The weekend jump has been just as drastic all over Georgia. A total of 14,223 cases have been confirmed in the state, hospitalizing 2,769 people. The respiratory disease has killed 501 Georgians.

Seventy-eight of those deaths have been reported in Dougherty County, where 1,286 cases have been confirmed, making it the hardest hit region in Georgia. Fulton County, a much more populous area, has reported 1,774 cases and 57 deaths.

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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp urged residents to schedule a Coronavirus appointment ahead of time with their healthcare provider before arriving unannounced.

“While testing numbers continue to frustrate Georgians and state leaders alike, I am proud of the progress that we have made to expand surge capacity,” said Kemp in a press briefing Monday evening. “Over the weekend, the state executed a contract to build an alternate care facility at the Georgia World Congress Center. Yesterday, the Georgia National Guard, GEMA, Department of Community Health, Department of Public Health, and contractors began preparing the site for potential COVID-19 patient surge.”

According to Kemp, the projected peak date in Georgia is set for Sunday, April 26, and a push by local hospitals and federal authorities to set up hundreds more beds to handle the patient surge has started.

“We need to be firing on all cylinders to prepare for the days and weeks ahead,” Kemp said Monday.