Health Dept: ‘Ongoing transmission of virus’ in N. Ga.

WHITFIELD COUNTY, Ga. (WDEF) — A positive case of COVID-19 is now in Dalton. The hospital in Whitfield County is taking major precautions as it attempts to test more people for the virus.

Starting Wednesday, March 18, no visitors are allowed into the Hamilton Health Care facility with the exception of extraordinary circumstances.

The hospital has also set up two large tents just outside the emergency room entrance to test those who think they might have the virus. However, health officials are asking you, please, if you don’t have severe symptoms, just stay home.

“They can now assume that there is ongoing transmission of the virus within our community, and they should protect themselves,” said Dr. Zachary Taylor, head of North Georgia Health District.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Hamilton Health Care System in Dalton confirmed a patient has tested positive for COVID-19. This brings the number of cases in Georgia to 197 — which is up from 146 cases on Tuesday.

“It’s just scary,” Michelle Bailey said. “I mean, you don’t know how to react. You go into stores and the shelves are empty and you think, ‘I don’t want to be too reactionary and buy up things,’ but you want to make sure you’re taking care of your family.”

Bread and eggs aren’t the only shortages right now. Dr. Taylor says the health department is having a hard time buying sufficient numbers of medical masks to equip the hospitals.

“That’s a problem across the nation,” Dr. Taylor said. “We’re constantly trying to find new sources of masks. There is a need for lots of masks because the health care workers need to change them out. So they’ll go through lots of masks. We’re working with the CDC, with the manufacturers and our state office to make sure what masks we can get are distributed to all of the facilities.”

Dr. Taylor says the availability of testing is limited. He’s encouraging only those with severe symptoms to call their doctor or hospital ahead of time so they can be tested with appropriate caution.

To ease the burden on healthcare facilities during this #COVID19 outbreak, it's important to know when to call #911. If you have mild symptoms, call your doctor. Take a look at this @GaDPH graphic for a quick breakdown: https://t.co/ONWCgvC7eE #covid19ga pic.twitter.com/huTT57Tq4t

— North Georgia Health (@NGAHealthDist) March 17, 2020

“I think that’s all you can do. I think that’s what we’ve got to do,” Bailey said. “We’ve got to be proactive in closing the airport for foreign visitors and we’ve got to get ahead of the situation. I told my daughter, we’re going home after this and we’re not leaving for a few days.”

“Make sure you have a reliable source that you can depend on,” Dr. Taylor said. “Take care of each other. Let’s come together as a community. This can be our finest hour, as a generation and the generation after us.”

Stick with News 12 as a reliable and dependable source for all you COVID-19 updates.