Gordon County Update Regarding COVID-19
July 28, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE….
We want to take this time to let our citizens know that Gordon County, Calhoun and leadership and public safety from all municipalities, school systems, faith-based organizations, and non-profits continue to work alongside each other to address issues relevant to COVID-19 within our community by communicating daily and holding bi-weekly meetings. These bi-weekly meetings serve as tools to make sure we are all collaborating together to stay up to date on our current situation as well as that around our nation. We also monitor numbers daily to include increases of cases and deaths both statewide and in Gordon County as well as numbers from our local hospitals on COVID-19 cases, bed availability, and ventilator availability.
The Calhoun Gordon County COVID-19 Task Force met on Tuesday, July 28, 2020, to review historical and current Gordon County numbers. Over the past month, confirmed cases have risen. “We knew that numbers would increase when business and industry started opening up. The Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends saw many gatherings across the community which could’ve also contributed to some spread of the virus. Much of this increase is due to increased testing in our community as well as persons testing multiple times with positive results,” stated Jim Ledbetter, County Administrator.
While the majority of those impacted with COVID-19 do not require hospitalization, AdventHealth continues to manage the increase in patients under their care, much like they do during flu season. Officials reminded the group that the hospital and intensive care unit is built to support the needs of the community. At this time approximately 20% of all patients admitted to the hospital are due to COVID-related illnesses and not all of those are Gordon County residents as AdventHealth serves our regional needs. “As of July 28, sixteen persons are hospitalized with COVID-19 and this number has not risen above 21 at any given time,” stated Garrett Nudd, Director of Marketing and Communications. The number fluctuates multiple times a day as patients are discharged and new patients are admitted. “We are confident in our ability to care for the needs of our community and are appreciative of the local task force and our community partners,” Garrett shared.
“As schools prepare to reopen, it is important to reinforce the CDC guidance and to encourage all of our community members to be diligent in their efforts to wash hands frequently, cover coughs, social distance and wear a mask. The Governor has made it clear that he feels that we do not need a mandate to do the right thing. As responsible citizens and leaders in our community, we agree. We need to hold each other accountable to do the right thing and wear a mask when it is not feasible to social distance and we also need to continue these best practices at home,” stated Paul Worley, City Administrator. School leaders expressed their gratitude for the COVID Task Force and community partners who have donated supplies and assisted with reopening efforts.
We will continue to monitor numbers daily and do all that we can to keep our citizens safe. Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have worked diligently to try and stay ahead of this virus as a team here in Gordon County. If you do feel you need to be tested the Gordon County Health Department located at 310 North River Street in Calhoun is doing free daily testing Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 12 p.m. No appointment is needed for this testing and you will remain in your car to be tested.
The next meeting of the Gordon County COVID Task Force is scheduled for Tuesday, August 11th at 9:00 a.m.
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