Is it a blip or a trend? Georgia records rash of new Covid-19 cases

ATLANTA (WDEF) – State health officials have reported a steep downward curve in Covid-19 cases as Georgians return to work this week.

But Friday’s numbers may cause some concern.

Here is the trend according to the Department of Public Health showing a decline in the last week’s new cases.

But the state has recorded new 1,232 cases in the last 24 hours, 358 since noon.

18 more Georgians have been reported dead since the pre-noon report.

Health officials have warned about getting too upset over one day spikes… they are looking for trends.

And as testing ramps up, so do the positive tests.

Tennessee saw a similarly high number on Friday, 1156.  But that can be attributed to the whopping 897 new cases from the Trousdale Turner Correctional facility where the entire prison was tested.  That number dwarves the problems at the Bledsoe Co. Correctional Facility in our area.  As a result, Governor Lee says Tennessee will test all state prisoners and staff next week.

The Hamilton County Health Department is quite pleased with the positive tests that came from last weekend’s drive throughs… just f positive out of 1377 tests.

Going back to Georgia, one of the new deaths was in our part of the state.

An 83 year old man with underlying medial conditions has died from Murray County.

He is the first fatality in the County.

Here are the other northwest Georgia numbers tonight:

DADE (Trenton) 16 cases, 3 hospitalizations, 1 death

WALKER (LaFayette) 60 cases, 1 hospitalization

CATOOSA (Ringgold) 48 cases, 5 hospitalizations

WHITFIELD (Dalton) 11 cases, 15 hospitalizations, 4 deaths

MURRAY (Chatsworth) 32 cases, 5 hospitalizations, 1 death

GILMER (Ellijay) 69 cases, 13 hospitalizations

FANNIN (Blue Ridge) 30 cases, 4 hospitalizations, 1 death

CHATTOOGA (Summerville) 16 cases, 3 hospitalizations, 2 deaths

GORDON (Calhoun) 113 cases, 26 hospitalizations, 12 deaths