Southwest Georgia COVID-19 Deaths Make 3 For State

Two people have died in Southwest Georgia from COVID-19, taking the statewide tally of deaths from the pandemic to three.

A 42-year-old woman and a 69-year-old-woman both died in an Albany hospital, the Georgia Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday. In addition to testing positive for COVID-19, each had existing medical conditions.

Both patients were people already being treated at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany for COVID-19 symptoms while waiting on their test results.

According to Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler,  one of the deceased received a positive test result for COVID-19 the same day they died. Fowler said the other death is presumed to be from COVID-19 though the test result is still outstanding.  Phoebe Putney reported both deaths as being due to COVID-19. 

Coroner Michael Fowler said it is time for people to pay attention. 

"It's not a game,"  Fowler said during an afternoon press conference. "I know people are beng sick and being quarantined, but people are dying."

"I want to say, do what we got to do," Fowler concluded.

According to the CDC and others, that's staying home as much as possible, staying at least six feet away from others and avoiding groups of people.

Meanwhile, the Phoebe Putney continues to test hundreds of people they consider symptomatic at a drive-through location.

RELATED: Southwest Georgia Emerges As Coronavirus Hotspot

The backlog of people tested by Phoebe Putney waiting on results from private labs is almost as many as the total number of tests the State Department of Health has performed statewide.

Hospital CEO Scott Steiner said Phoebe Putney had been setting back supplies like respirator masks and gowns since December when the disease first popped up in China.  They burned through five months of those supplies in five days.

That supply crunch continues, even after the receipt of things like respirator masks from the federal strategic reserve. Hospital leaders estimate the new gear may see them through a single day of caring for 70 symptomatic patients. So they are experimenting with using disposable masks over the more rare P-95 respirators in hopes of extending their use.

So far all Phoebe Putney employee tests have so far come back as negative.