Photograph by Al Bello/Getty Images
On Monday, fatalities surged and CVS announced a new drive-thru testing center. Here’s your Tuesday morning update:
• There are now 7,558 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Georgia. 294 people have died. 1,393 have been hospitalized. 31,274 tests have been conducted. [GA Dept. of Public Health]
• Fatalities surged yesterday as 75 new deaths were reported. The highest death toll is still in Dougherty County at 44, followed by Fulton at 32. Unfortunately, we are not yet at the projected peak of this crisis. That, according to the University of Washington IHME model, will be on April 21, when 137 people are expected to die of COVID-19 statewide. The projections—which assume “full social distancing” measures through May—show the curve beginning to flatten in May. However, the model still projects that more than 3,400 Georgians will die by August 4. And, as the AJC points out, we still don’t have complete accuracy on the numbers reported by the health department due to many factors, including low testing and lags in real-time reporting from hospitals and coroners. (For example, Doughtery County has 44 deaths recorded by the health department, but the county coroner has cited 50, the AJC says.) [GA Dept. of Public Health/IHME/AJC]
• CVS has opened a drive-thru testing center at Georgia Tech—inside a parking garage at 352 Peachtree Place—that promises results within 30 minutes. To be tested, you must have an appointment and meet CDC guidelines to be tested, meaning if you don’t have a physician referral, priority is given to healthcare workers, symptomatic elderly, symptomatic first responders, and those with underlying conditions who are symptomatic. The tests are free with or without insurance. You must also be a Georgia resident and must be in a vehicle in order to be tested. [CVS]
• The Greater Atlanta COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, which was started a few weeks ago through the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and United Way of Greater Atlanta, has announced a third round of grants to community organizations, totaling $4.6 million distributed to 27 organizations including Atlanta Partners for Education, Hosea Helps, Gateway and Evolution Center, Ser Familia, the Partnership Against Domestic Violence, and more. The fund has given $8.7 million to nonprofits so far. [United Way]
• On Sunday, the governor announced a new coronavirus task force that will be focused on community outreach. Bernice King is the co-chair, along with Engaged Futures Group President Leo Smith. [WSBTV]
• The Georgia Renaissance Festival has been moved to October 10 through November 22. [GRF]
• Memorial Day weekend anime convention MomoCon has officially been canceled for this year. The convention intends to resume in 2021. [MomoCon]
• The governor’s decision to re-open the state’s beaches has officially made parody newspaper, the Onion. [Onion]
• First, it was puppies. Now, Atlanta Humane has taken a group of kittens to explore the empty Georgia Aquarium. The results are as delightful as you’d expect.
