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COVID testing no longer offered here
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Testing for COVID-19 is no longer offered in Grady County, at least for the time being, according to public health officials. That action follows several weeks of low numbers of new cases here.
Michelle Thornton, director of the Grady County Health Department, announced last week that both Grady and Mitchell counties were removed from the testing calendar.
“We will now have sites in Colquitt and Thomas (counties) two days per week, Decatur (County) one day per week, and Albany will remain the same Monday through Saturday,” Thornton stated. “Changes could be made later based on the needs of the community and case numbers.”
In the last week, Grady County saw only 10 new cases of COVID-19, bringing our total for the last 11 months to 1,466, based on P.C.R. test results.
The Georgia Department of Public Health began providing antigen test data on their online COVID-19 dashboard last week, for total tests performed and how many of them were positive. Combining both the number of positives determined by P.C.R. test results and those discovered by antigen (antibody) test results shows about 500 more Grady County residents have had the disease caused by the novel coronavirus than the P.C.R. test results alone show.
Based on both the P.C.R. test results and those who have tested positive for the antibodies, there are a total of 1,972 Grady County residents who have had the disease over the last year, that’s 506 more positives than the 1,466 results from the P.C.R. test.
Grady County saw another death from COVID-19 in the last week, bringing the total number of locals who have died from COVID-19 to 43.
Grady General Hospital was treating 2 covid-positive patients as of Tuesday and Archbold Memorial Hospital in Thomasville had six, according to Shealy Registery, spokeswoman for the hospitals.
The Grady County School System saw a slight decline in the numbers of students and staff affected by COVID-19 this week, according to Dr. Kermit Gilliard, superintendent of schools.
There were 142 students on quarantine as of Tuesday, compared to 150 last week, and 9 students who were positive compared to 12 last week.
There were seven employees on quarantine as of Tuesday compared to 20 last week, and zero positive employees this week compared to four last week.
The school most affected is Cairo High School with 85 students and three employees on quarantine and six positive students.
Eastside Elementary School had 35 students and two employees on quarantine as of Tuesday and two positive students.
Whigham School had 11 students on quarantine and one positive student Tuesday.
Southside Elementary School had five students and two employees on quarantine.
Northside Elementary School had four students on quarantine, and Washington Middle School had two students on quarantine as of Tuesday.
Shiver was the only school having no students or employees with positive results or on quarantine as of Tuesday.
Posted in News