Gwinnett County now tops the list as the county with the most positive COVID-19 cases in Georgia, following a spike in cases over the last few weeks.
The latest numbers on the Georgia Department of Public Health website show Gwinnett County with a total of 5753 confirmed cases, followed by Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb and Hall counties.
Gwinnett County has been among the top five counties with the most confirmed cases for some time now but experienced a jump in cases during the last few weeks of May. While cases appeared to drop down around the beginning of June, Gwinnett County saw its largest number of confirmed cases for any day on June 9 with 137 cases.
The numbers can seem alarming, especially for North Georgia residents who live or work in Gwinnett County. But Doctor Audrey Arona, CEO and District Health Director for the Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale Health Departments explained that the increase in cases in Gwinnett County is primarily due to the increase in testing.
“We attribute the increase in cases to the number of tests that we’re performing in the county,” said Arona. “Our health department has tested more than any other county in Georgia and we’re testing the general population so we’re going to find cases…the more tests you do, the more you’re going to find.”
Arona said the GNR started ramping up their testing in May around the same time as the rest of the state of Georgia. She said that the health department can administer four to five thousand tests per week, but currently only use just over three thousand.
With the number of tests that the GNR has administered, staff are starting to see some trends. Some of these trends are good, while others are concerning.
Arona said that some good news is that while Gwinnett County is top in the state for most cases, it is third in the state for most deaths.
“That’s attributed to how well Gwinnett County residents have sheltered in place and social distanced and did the best they could to follow all of the guidance and CDC and Department of Public Health,” said Arona.
Arona said GNR staff have also seen a drop in the hospitalization rate and the percentage of patients with COVID-19 who also have an underlying health condition. However, she said staff have also seen a drop in the average age of patients with COVID-19, down from the high 50s to early 40s.
Arona also mentioned a few areas within Gwinnett County have a higher number of COVID cases; more densely populated areas like Norcross, Lilburn and parts of Lawrenceville.
Fortunately, Arona said that based on the data the GNR has collected, she believes that most of their cases are mild.
“I believe what is happening…way back in March when we were telling everybody about this virus to begin with, we expected 85 percent or more of cases to be mild and not associated with severe illnesses,” said Arona. “I think that’s what we’re seeing- the more we test, the more cases we’re going to find but I do believe the majority of those are milder cases.”
As far as taking a test, Arona said that both Gwinnett County and non-Gwinnett County residents can come to any of the health departments’ testing sites for a test.
Currently there are three testing sites operated by the GNR- one in Lawrenceville behind the departments’ administrative building, one in the Lilburn/Norcross area and a final testing site that changes location from week to week and primarily serves Newton and Rockdale counties.
The GNR is also continuing efforts to spread awareness about COVID-19 and remind residents to follow preventive guidelines.
Arona said some efforts the health department is taking are posting signs in Gwinnett County public transportation with information on testing locations and preventive measures for families.
Arona mentioned that the GNR will also soon release a Public Service Announcement that the department worked on with the Governor’s Office, Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Georgia Safety Fire and Insurance Commissioner John King.
More about what the GNR is doing to spread awareness of COVID-19 in Gwinnett County is on their website.
