38 Year old, Bulloch's 19th death, 54 Year old Candler's 10th death, Bulloch Schools Reporting Positives

Key points:

Story updated 8/21/20 8:30 AM

• Bulloch County reported the 19th COVID-19 death today, a 38 year old female of unknown race with no comorbidity
• Candler County reported the 10th death today a 54 year old black male with no comorbidity
• White House says Georgia now leads nation in rate of new virus cases
• GEORGIA NAMED STATE YOU’RE ‘MOST LIKELY’ TO BE EXPOSED TO CORONAVIRUS, STUDIES SHOW

Bulloch County Schools Report Positives

Two Confirmed positive COVID-19 cases were reported today in Bulloch County Public schools:  One at Langston Chapel Middle School and One at Mattie Lively Elementary School

• On August 19, Langston Chapel Middle School and Mattie Lively Elementary Schools administrators and their school nurses were notified of a positive COVID-19 case at their schools.
• Each school enacted their COVID-19 safety protocols that were developed in partnership with the Department of Public Health.
• Each school immediately identified any persons who had close contact and exposure to the person, quarantined them in the school, and contacted their parents to pick them up.
• At Langston Chapel Middle School 25 students have been quarantined, and four staff members and two students at Mattie Lively Elementary.
• All other students are safe to remain and return to school. There is no need to pick up your child from school unless you were contacted by the school to do so, and you do not have to quarantine your child or keep them from returning to school unless you were contacted by the school to do so.
• The identified students will be quarantined for 14 days at home, and they will receive instruction from their Bulloch County Schools teachers via distance learning using the school district’s Google Classroom and Google Meets tools.
• Per the Department of Public Health, the quarantined students may not return to school, even with a doctor’s note, until they have completed the 14-day quarantine period and have no COVID-19 symptoms. School nurses will monitor this quarantine to ensure no person returns to the building until their quarantine period is complete and the person has no symptoms.
• All schools practice deep cleaning measures throughout the day, and the area where the COVID-19 person was present has been temporarily closed to receive immediate deep cleaning.

Bulloch Academy

• 8/21/20 – A Bulloch Academy administrator asked us to clarify this information from parents.  They do not have an entire class out.  They have positive cases, as to be expected and are working closely with DPH on notification and contact tracing.  They will not be releasing information publicly about number or status of positive cases
• We continue to receive reports of positive cases at Bulloch Academy requiring students and teachers to be quarantined.  One entire grade has been quarantined according to parents of students in that class.
• An administrator at Bulloch Academy stated they are contacting parents of close contacts according to DPH guidelines to notify them to quarantine and with information of the date their child would be allowed to return.  BA is also contacting all families within the same class to notify them of a positive case within the class.  The are fully complying with DPH contact tracing and protocols.

Georgia Southern University

We are also receiving reports from students, staff, faculty and parents of Georgia Southern University students confirming positive cases on campus.  A Georgia Southern spokesperson today said they will have a system in place by Monday to give updates on positive cases on campus.  In a previous statement, we were told they would only have access to positive cases confirmed through the health center.  We are unclear if this will include student athletes or if they will be recorded separately.

Local Address Must Be Given for Test to Show in Bulloch totals

It is important that Georgia Southern students who are tested outside of the GSU Health Center use their current address in Statesboro, not their permanent home address.  Otherwise, the results will be recorded in their home county, even though they are living in our community.  If you are a student, and receive a COVID-19 test at the health department, urgent care or local doctors office you must provide your local address for the test results to show in Bulloch County numbers.

Targets to get COVID-19 under control

The World Health Organization and White House guidelines call for sustained positivity rates of 5% or less and positive case rate less than 100 per 100,000.

Bulloch County:

• Bulloch County reported the 19th COVID-19 death today, a 38 year old female of unknown race with no comorbidity
• Bulloch County 14 day average of positive cases per 100,000 is 357 and percent of positive test is 14.1%.  (Targets are below 100 per 100,000 and positive test at 5% or below).
• 1,427 Total confirmed cases and 19 deaths total reported here with 99 hospitalizations total.  Up 11 confirmed since yesterday.  (These figures apply to Bulloch County Residents)
• EGRMC currently/today caring for 20 COVID-19 positive patients today. (May or may not be Bulloch County Residents) 5 COVID-19 patients on vents.  EGRMC has 17 total vents.  However, this is reporting only COVID-19 patients on vents.  It is unknown how many actual vents are in use at this time.  
• Bulloch EMS received notice of 80 Confirmed COVID-19 positive and 94 probable patients transported to date.

BULLOCH COUNTY LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY 8/19/20 COVID-19 REPORT:

https://dch.georgia.gov/

BULLOCH COUNTY TOTAL COVID-19 DEATHS

https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report

Evans County:

• 322 Total confirmed cases and 3 deaths total reported with 20 total hospitalizations. (This is an increase of 0 confirmed cases and increase of  0 hospitalizations and 0 deaths from yesterday)
• Evans County 14 day average of positive cases per 100,000 is 814 and percent of positive test is 23%.  (Targets are below 100 per 100,000 and positive test at 5% or below).
• Evans COVID-19 deaths:59 year old, African American male with comorbidity
  • 62 year old, white male with comorbidity
  • 76 year old, African American male with comorbidity

Candler County:

• Candler County reported the 10th death today a 54 year old black male with no comorbidity
• 289 total confirmed cases and 10 deaths total reported with 10 total hospitalizations. (This is an increase of 5 confirmed cases and an increase of 1 death from yesterday)
• Candler County 14 day average of positive cases per 100,000 is 461 and percent of positive test is 24%.  (Targets are below 100 per 100,000 and positive test at 5% or below).
• Candler’s COVID-19 deaths

• Order	AGE	SEX	COUNTY	RACE	COMORBIDITY
  4	46	Female	Candler	White	Yes
  10	54	Male	Candler	Black	No
  2	56	Female	Candler	Black	Yes
  8	61	Male	Candler	White	No
  6	64	Female	Candler	Black	No
  5	68	Male	Candler	White	No
  1	73	Female	Candler	White	No
  7	75	Female	Candler	White	No
  9	83	Female	Candler	Black	Yes
  3	86	Male	Candler	White	Yes

Exceeding hospital bed and staff capacity is why leaders continue calling for citizens to wear a mask, social distance, wash hands and avoid crowds to slow the spread and not overwhelm our hospital.

GEORGIA TECH COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool – CLICK HERE

The Georgia Tech COVID-19 risk assessment planning tool shows the risk level of attending an event in any county in America, given the event size and location (assuming 10:1 ascertainment bias).  The risk level is the estimated chance (0-100%) that at least 1 COVID-19 positive individual will be present at an event in a county, given the size of the event.  Choose an event size. Use the drop-down menu to choose a county you would like to zoom in on.

Testing Data

Note: The graphs depict total tests and not the number of persons tested. Some individuals may be tested multiple times.

Weekly Testing Numbers

The following graph depicts the number of specimens collected for testing by the Southeast Health District each week. Tests are also performed by private physicians, hospitals, federally qualified health centers, urgent care centers, among others so this number is not a comprehensive total of all testing done in our area.