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Georgia Coronavirus Updates: Death Toll Tops 100
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Georgia now has more than 100 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 and over 3,000 confirmed cases as we approach the end of March. Meanwhile, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms warns the city’s hospitals could be over capacity by the first week of May.
As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, there are 4,117 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in nearly 140 of Georgia’s 159 counties with 125 reported deaths. Over 16,000 tests have been performed by state and commercial labs. The state also says 885 people have been hospitalized so far.
Here is the latest coronavirus news from Georgia for Tuesday, March 31, 2020.
Death toll tops 100
There are at least 125 reported deaths from COVID-19 in Georgia, a somber milestone that will continue to rise. They include eight people who died in southwest Georgia before their test results could be confirmed.
More than 1,300 new positive cases have been reported in the last 24 hours, including at least 38 more deaths.
The Georgia Department of Public Health now has demographic statistics about those who have died from the virus, ranging from a 29-year-old woman in Peach County to a 95-year-old man in Baker County.
Local doctor describes trouble getting tested for COVID-19
GPB’s Ellen Eldridge spoke with a 34-year-old local doctor who posted on Facebook about his struggle to get a test, even as a health care worker.
“I was essentially looking for leadership like, OK, how are we as a country going to prioritize who gets tested? Is it just going to be the critically ill patients? Is it going to just be the E.R. and ICU workers or is it going to include primary care and community doctors like me?” Cohen asked himself. “So, I waited for that message.”
Another doctor read Cohen’s Facebook post and chose to share one of three test kits she had for her private practice. Cohen is still waiting on the results.
VISUALIZE: Map of coronavirus infections and deaths
GPB’s Grant Blankenship created a map showing the impact of coronavirus on a per capita level of cases and deaths per 100,000 people in all 159 counties. It shows a magnitude of virus that raw numbers might mask, especially in southwest Georgia.
Lee County has 44 positive cases in a population of 28,928, or about 155 cases per 100,000 people. Dougherty’s 17 reported deaths in a population of around 80,000 translates into about 21 deaths per 100,000 people.
Fulton County, Georgia’s most populous and home to the most raw numbers of cases, has a rate of 50 cases per 100,000 people and only 1.5 deaths per 100,000.
Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles Weighs Releasing Inmates
The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles will now consider specific cases for clemency for those who are serving for non-violent offenses and also within 180 days of their release, the Department of Corrections announced in a press release Tuesday afternoon.
Atlanta mayor: hospitals could reach capacity by early May
Atlanta's hospitals could reach capacity by May 3 if the current rate of coronavirus infection continues, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said Monday.
The Atlanta mayor spoke on a public online conference call from her home where she is self-quarantining with her husband and four children.
Hospitals are already nearly full serving thousands of metro Atlantans coming in with diabetes, high blood pressure, car accident injuries, strokes and heart attacks, Bottoms said.
"When you add the coronavirus on top of that, it is extremely challenging to our health care system," she said. "That's what you're seeing reflected in New York and then Seattle, and that's what we are attempting to avoid here in Atlanta."
DNR will enforce social distancing as partiers still pack lakes and parks
Even though coronavirus has touched at least 70% of Georgia’s counties and the majority of cases are in people under 60, pictures emerged over the weekend of floating parties on lakes across the state.
Kemp banned all gatherings of 10 or more people in situations where people can’t keep their social distance, and now DNR Commissioner Mark Williams said his team is enforcing that order on the water and in campgrounds.
“They are monitoring coves where people tend to congregate and, if necessary, using bullhorns to tell people to comply with the order,” he said in a statement. “Officials will approach people in violation of the order and demand compliance for the well-being of our citizens and state. Local officials are also working hard to ensure compliance with local directives, which vary by city and county across our state."
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“As we deal with the effects of coronavirus with school and business closures, people are eager for a change in scenery after days at home. They are traveling to nearby counties, heading outdoors for fresh air and maximizing family time. Some are going to vacation homes and others are hitting the lake, hiking trails or campgrounds. We, too, enjoy exploring Georgia, but we urge people to stay mindful of social distancing, follow best practices, and avoid large crowds.”
Kemp aide’s Facebook post sparks controversy
Over the weekend, the AJC reported on a Facebook post made by Tim Fleming, the governor’s chief of staff.
In it, Fleming decried “the media and some in the medical profession” that are “peddling these doomsday models and projections” about COVID-19. Fleming said that has led to local governments “overreacting” to the virus.
But Kemp and Dr. Kathleen Toomey, the state’s public health commissioner, have supported the decisions cities and counties have made.
“I’m having to govern the whole state… it’s much different than what [Atlanta] Mayor Bottoms and other local elected officials have done,” Kemp said at a town hall Thursday. “I’m supportive of the actions that they’ve taken.”
In that town hall, the governor’s biggest message was for people to stay at home if they can, practice social distancing and work to minimize the spread.
“There's a lot of great things going on at the local level, if we can get our citizens to follow these directions,” Kemp said. “It will absolutely turn this curve. We can get to the other side of this virus and it’s critical that we do that for our health care system.”
Later in the hour, Kemp said he was trying to balance the statewide public health concerns with economic ones in communities without many - or any - cases.
“You have people saying, ‘Look, we need to be working, I'm worried about losing my home, I'm worried about getting meals for my kids,’” he said. “And so those are the kind of things that we're balancing… but all of this is to focus on the public health of our citizens.”
At the same time, the governor explained why he ordered public K-12 schools closed through April 24, stating that it would give officials time to figure out where the virus is spreading.
"The data that we're seeing today is two weeks old, the data that we're going to see two weeks from now is what really happened today, and that's just the nature of this,” Kemp said.
As for the Facebook post, an article in this morning’s AJC said Fleming was fielding calls from mayors and county commissioners about how confusing the patchwork local orders to shelter in place (or not) have been.
Virus spreads through correctional system
The Georgia Department of Corrections has released a dashboard with daily updates about how many people have tested positive for coronavirus. As of Monday, March 30, 22 people, including 11 DOC staffers, have tested positive, with the worst outbreak at Lee State Prison.
Seven people incarcerated at the prison have COVID-19, and one man has died.
In the Fulton County Jail System, officials say 13 men are being treated in isolation for the virus.
Trump approves disaster declaration for Georgia
President Trump has approved a federal disaster declaration for Georgia.
"Georgia is grateful for this designation, as it will enable the state to continue partnering with federal agencies in a coordinated fight against this pandemic,” Kemp said in a release. “The presidential declaration is a critical step in providing additional assistance to our state and local governments as they continue to respond to COVID-19.”
Georgia has been under a public health emergency since March 14.
Federal social distancing guidelines extended through end of April
At a news conference Sunday, Trump also said Americans should keep following his 15-day aggressive “stay at home” plan until April 30.
"The better you do, the faster this whole nightmare will end," Trump said.
It was an abrupt end to two weeks of whiplash as Trump veered between conflicting advice from public health experts, who were looking at data from labs and hospitals, and friends in the business community, who were looking at the harm to the economy.
ICU beds strained
An NPR analysis of data from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice looked at how the nation's 100,000 ICU beds are distributed across the more than 300 markets that make up the country's hospital system.
MORE: ICU Bed Capacity Varies Widely Nationwide. See How Your Area Stacks Up
The national median is about 30 beds per 100,000 people. Most Georgia regions rank in the bottom third of the country.
In both Albany and Atlanta, there are about 24 ICU beds per 100,000 people. Albany has around 50 ICU beds, Atlanta has about 1,500.
But early on in the coronavirus outbreak, both systems are full.
On Monday, there were 69 COVID-19 patients hospitalized across the Phoebe Putney Health System in southwest Georgia.
Steven Kitchen, the system’s chief medical officer, said last week they continue to treat a “substantial number” of critically ill patients in their ICUs.
“While most people who contract COVID-19 do not suffer serious complications, this is a devastating illness for many higher risk patients who can decompensate quickly and suffer severe respiratory distress,” he said in a statement. “Prevention truly is the key to saving lives for that high-risk population.”
Speaking during the governor’s town hall Thursday, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said that ICU capacity in Atlanta was strained even before coronavirus hit.
“We have to remember that Grady [Hospital] is already in a compromised position because of the flood a couple of months ago,” she said. “We have to remember in the midst of this coronavirus, heart attacks don’t stop, car accidents don’t stop, or any number of other things that send people to the ICU.”
Bottoms said Grady was around 90% capacity in the ICU, and projections show ICU capacity could be overrun by May 3.
Measuring the capacity of ICU beds is important, because those are the units that are most likely to treat people with respiratory problems that require ventilators.
MORE: Georgia-Based Waffle House Closes More Than 300 Locations
Georgia is mailing absentee ballot applications to all active registered voters
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office is mailing all 6.9 million active voters in the state an absentee ballot application for the May 19 primary elections.
Voters will need to fill it out and return it to county elections officials, then they will receive their absentee ballot. Georgia postponed its March 24 presidential primary until May amid coronavirus concerns.
It will cost north of $10 million and makes it easier for those anxious about showing up to a busy polling place to cast their ballot safely from home.
“With social distancing as the most important tool for limiting the spread of coronavirus, providing alternatives to voting in person is crucial,” Raffensperger said. “All Georgia voters can request and vote an absentee ballot for any reason.”
Georgia Unemployment Claims Double Amid Coronavirus Shutdowns
New claims for unemployment in Georgia have more than doubled as businesses shut down amid coronavirus fears, the Georgia Department of Labor reported Thursday.
More than 12,000 people filed for unemployment benefits between March 15 and March 21, up from 5,445 the week before.
But the Georgia Department of Labor is also extending the time you can collect unemployment benefits from 14 weeks to 26 weeks, and also will allow people to earn up to $300 a week working part time while still receiving the full benefits.
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