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Murphy – Cherokee County’s latest COVID-19 case total looks almost identical to last week at first glance, but daily cases have undergone another notable spike.
Cherokee County Health Department reported 434 new cases this week over a six-day period, compared to 421 last week over an eight-day span. Last week’s numbers were delayed due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“It looks like the rough average (two weeks ago) was 52 or 53 per day,” Health Director David Badger said. “We’re in the range of (72) per day for this past week.”
Cherokee County recorded two more COVID-19 related deaths during the last week – one individual in their mid-80s, the other in their late 60s – raising the local total to 109 since the pandemic hit here in
March 2020.
The recent weekly case totals, driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant, easily surpass the county’s tally for the entire month of December. The health department last week sent out a summary for December, listing 310 positive cases during that time. More than 75 percent of those cases (234) were among unvaccinated individuals. The remaining 24.5 percent consisted of 61 cases in those considered “fully vaccinated” with two doses and 15 individuals who had received a booster.
Those figures likely will take on a different look once data from January is available, as the spread of Omicron has led to a higher rate of breakthrough cases among vaccinated individuals. Badger emphasized that the vaccines are still effective at reducing the risk of hospitalization.
“I think so many people hinge on the fact that they still might get COVID,” Badger said. “That’s true, but the reality is, you want to be able to get COVID and have it be one of those mild infections where you just kind of go on with life.”
Last week, every home in the United States became eligible to order four free at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government via www.covidtests.gov.
While Badger acknowledged that the tests are a great resource, Omicron has led to a higher rate of false negatives in testing, especially among rapid tests. He added that it’s important for individuals to think logically if they get a negative test result but are having COVID-like symptoms.
“If they get a positive ... follow guidance for themselves and isolation, household members quarantine – that type of thing – to make sure we lessen the risk of transmission,” Badger said. “Also, on negatives, make sure you’re thinking logically if you’re symptomatic.
“If you’re negative but you’re symptomatic, test again to confirm that. It’s all about lessening the risk of exposure to other people.”
The Northeast Georgia Health System, which includes Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, Ga., often acts as a bellwether for surrounding rural areas. The system had 321 COVID-19 positive patients in its care as of Monday.
Although hospitalizations appear to have leveled off within the last week, the system listed all 120 of its ICU beds as occupied as of Monday. Another 25 patients were in Northeast Georgia Health System emergency departments waiting for an available inpatient bed that met their care needs.