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COVID Hits Bulloch Middle Schools Hard - Testing Centers Busy

Two weeks after the return from Thanksgiving break, Bulloch Schools has had a difficult week with COVID positives and quarantines. From the data received from the Bulloch Schools COVID report, Middle schools are particularly affected.
Bulloch-County-COVID-19-Report-121220

Two weeks after the return from Thanksgiving break, Bulloch Schools has had a difficult week with COVID positives and quarantines. From the data received from the Bulloch Schools COVID report, Middle schools are particularly affected.

Out of the 170 students quarantined, 115 are from two middle schools. William James reported 9 positives and 110 quarantined and Langston Chapel reported 2 positives and 5 quarantined. While private schools do not report, we are receiving reports that their middle schools have been impacted as well.

Local doctors offices, urgent cares and other testing facilities have reported a surge in testing demand. Many have struggled to keep testing supplies in stock.

All of the urgent cares in Statesboro and the Georgia Southern Health Center now offer rapid antigen testing. These antigen rapid test positive results ARE NOT reported daily by the Georgia Department of Health by county.

They do report these positive numbers statewide daily and by county weekly, however they are not using these numbers to calculate positive percentages or positive cases per 100k. Without these calculated in the data, we do not get an accurate idea of the severity of the COVID outbreak in our community.


WHITE HOUSE COVID TASK FORCE BULOCH RECOMMENDATIONS:

CLICK HERE FOR Region J Hospital Bed and Ventilator Usage


Bulloch County Report

  • Bulloch County 14 day average of positive cases per 100,000 is 184. and percent of positive tests is 9.2%.  (Targets are below 100 per 100,000 and positive tests at 5% or below).
  • 3,436 Total confirmed cases and 56 deaths which include 35 confirmed & 21 probable deaths reported here with 155 hospitalizations total.  Up 6 confirmed since yesterday.  (These figures apply to Bulloch County residents).
  • EGRMC currently/today caring for 10 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 at EGRMC.  

Bulloch Schools, Colleges and University Report

Bulloch County Schools 

https://www.bullochschools.org/covid19dailyreport

Georgia Southern University

  • Updated weekly on Monday.  Click link below for totals:

https://www.georgiasouthern.edu/covid-19-information/exposure-health/

East Georgia State College

  • Updated daily/weekdays. Click link below for totals:

http://www.ega.edu/covid19

Ogeechee Technical College

  • Updated weekly on Monday.  Click link below for totals:

https://www.ogeecheetech.edu/1976


Candler County Report:

  • Candler County 14 day average of positive cases per 100,000 is 83 and the percent of positive tests is 7.1%.  (Targets are below 100 per 100,000 and positive tests at 5% or below).
  • 586 total confirmed cases and 35 total deaths which include 27 confirmed & 8 probable deaths reported with 48 total hospitalizations. (This is an increase of 0 confirmed cases, an increase of 0 hospitalizations and an increase of 0 deaths for Candler County from yesterday)

Evans County Report:

  • Evans County 14 day average of positive cases per 100,000 is 112 and the percent of positive tests is 9.1%.  (Targets are below 100 per 100,000 and positive tests at 5% or below).
  • 532 Total confirmed cases and 13 total deaths which include 8 confirmed & 5 probable deaths reported with 54 total hospitalizations in Evans. (This is an increase of 2 confirmed cases, increase of 2 hospitalization and 0 deaths for Evans County from yesterday)


BULLOCH LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY REPORT

EVANS COVID-19 DEATHS

CANDLER COVID-19 Deaths

BULLOCH COVID-19 DEATHS


About This Report

A special thanks to Dr. Frank Davis, M.D. F.A.C.S, a retired trauma surgeon who lives in Bulloch County. He has worked closely with the Grice Connect team to design the COVID-19 dashboard and provide brief interpretation of the data. You will be seeing and hearing more from Dr. Davis as he continues to help us monitor the COVID-19 impact locally.

We also want to thank Sean Davis and his team at Glenn Davis Insurers and Auto Owners Insurers for stepping up to sponsor this massive effort daily. They understand the importance of providing the best local data possible so their clients, family and friends can navigate this continuing crisis.

Thanks for supporting and following Grice Connect.

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) has added two new data sets to their daily COVID reports. These include rapid test positives cases and probable deaths. However, they are not following White House recommendations to include this data in the daily case and death numbers.

This skews the data and makes it appear cases and death rates look more favorable than what is actually occuring. DPH is reporting rapid test totals by county on a weekly basis. They are reporting "probable" deaths by county daily.

Beginning today we will include these in our total. This increased the death total on the dashboard from CVOID to 50. In the body of the report we will break out the numbers. DPH is not releasing demographic data on the "probable" deaths.

DPH Definitions of Deaths

“Confirmed Deaths”: This number includes confirmed COVID-19 cases that were either reported to DPH as deceased by healthcare providers or medical examiners/coroners, identified by death certificates with COVID-19 indicated as the cause of death, or there is evidence that COVID-19 contributed to the individual’s death.

“Probable Deaths”: This number includes individuals who are antigen positive or individuals with compatible illness and known close contact to a case that were either reported to DPH as deceased by healthcare providers or medical examiners/coroners, identified by death certificates with COVID-19 indicated as the cause of death, or there is evidence that COVID contributed to the individual’s death OR individuals with a death certificate that has COVID-19 indicated as the cause of death and there is no laboratory evidence for SARS-CoV-2.

Rapid COVID Test now Available in Statesboro

Currently Applecare, South Georgia Immediate Care and the new Statesboro Urgent Care all have rapid antigen testing capability. These antigen tests will not show in the daily numbers of positive cases for Bulloch. You do not have to be a resident of Statesboro to get tested.

White House Task Force Recommends Including Rapid Test Results

Georgia is not currently combining molecular and antigen test results, which is recommended by the White House COVID Task Force. Instead Georgia reports them separately daily statewide and provides county antigen positives on a weekly basis. With the rapid accessibility of rapid testing, this will greatly impact the number of positive cases.

In last weeks White House report they explained that antigen tests perform well in the highly infectious window and will be effective in identification of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infectious cases.
• Antigen tests do not perform well after 8-10 days post infection when nucleic acid cycle times are greater than 30.
• All antigen results must be reported with both the number of positive results and total tests conducted; positives must be reported as COVID cases.