Over the last two weeks, Washington County has seen a total of 30 confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH).
Statewide, for the same time period, the DPH reports a total of 83,289 new confirmed COVID-19 cases.
On Wednesday, December 29, the Washington County Regional Medical Center (WCRMC) urged the public to follow recent guidance concerning COVID-19 testing as issued by the Georgia Department of Public Health.
In a statement from WCRMC, the hospital explained that it is necessary for patients with non-emergent needs to use other available sources for COVID-19 testing so as to allow the hospital to treat all emergency needs of the county.
The Department of Public Health explained in a recent press release that this helps keep hospital emergency departments open to treat medical emergencies. Individuals seeking COVID-19 testing should not go to hospital emergency departments unless they are experiencing severe COVID-19 symptoms that require urgent medical attention. Asymptomatic individuals or individuals with mild symptoms should find testing sites other than hospital emergency departments.
COVID-19 testing locations are available throughout Georgia and can be found on the Georgia Department of Public Health website at dph.georgia.gov/covidtesting. The DPH is working with their lab partners to expand testing hours and add testing sites, however, lines will continue to be long as thousands of Georgians wish to get tested.
In an effort to help alleviate delays at testing sites, it is critical that people register before going to a DPH site. Online registration will help alleviate staff to do more testing because they will not be working on registration paperwork.
Georgians aged 5 and older are eligible for vaccination. Georgians 16 years of age and older are eligible for boosters six months after completing their primary vaccine series of either Moderna or Pfizer (only Pfizer is authorized for booster doses in 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds) and two months after their J&J vaccine.
The DPH states that basic prevention measures should also be followed to help prevent further spread of COVID-19 and mitigate outbreaks of infection, especially in public settings. They request he public wear a face mask, physically distance, and wash hands frequently with soap and water.