Coronavirus Updates: As Georgia Cases Pass 30,000, More Protective Equipment Is Planned To Come
A member of the Georgia National Guard prepares to enter the Provident Village assisted living and memory care home to clean and disinfect hallways and common areas in the building Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Smyrna, Georgia.
John Bazemore / Associated Press
More than 600 orders of personal protective equipment are now bound for Georgia hospitals, healthcare facilities, and testing sites, according to state health officials.
Gov. Brian Kemp announced on Tuesday that this is the largest shipment of PPE to date statewide.
Kemp said the state is also delivering more supplies to Georgia Tech’s CVS test site and the state Department of Corrections.
Emergency management officials said the state has shipped nearly 100,000 PPE supplies to frontline health workers so far.
Currently, there are more than 30,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, and over 1,300 deaths in Georgia, according to the May 6 Georgia Department of Public Health’s daily status report.
DEKALB COUNTY DISTRIBUTES COVID-19 PROTECTIVE CARE KITS
DeKalb County is set to pass out 4,000 coronavirus protective care kits in disadvantaged neighborhoods today and this Saturday.
The DeKalb Board of Health said the kits will have two non-surgical masks and hand sanitizer.
The care packets also have a card with tips on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and information encouraging residents to respond to the 2020 U.S. Census.
Police and firefighters in DeKalb County are also passing out 4,000 COVID-19 protective kits this week. The county is targeting low-income neighborhoods that are more vulnerable to the spread of the virus.
DeKalb has the second-highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide.
County emergency management officials said they started stockpiling masks and other supplies weeks before Kemp declared a state of emergency in March.
GEORGIA CONGRESSMAN TALKS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THE CORONAVIRUS ON AFRICAN-AMERICANS
The decision to open Georgia’s economy is putting more black lives at risk in the state, according to Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson.
Speaking during a virtual town hall Tuesday night held by the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, Johnson cited state numbers, which he called incomplete, that show a disproportionate number of African-Americans have confirmed cases and have died of COVID-19.
“And this fact weighs heavily on my conscious as Georgia has seen fit to reopen businesses back up, starting with barbershops and beauty parlors, which are staples in the black community,” Johnson said.
Johnson said more testing is set to be funded for underrepresented areas with the expected passage of the next wave of federal money.
But epidemiologist Camara Jones told the town hall that testing people who are symptomatic isn’t enough.
“We also need to test in our communities. We can’t test everybody like every week, but we can test a sample of people every week. That includes symptomatic, as well as those who do not have symptoms,” Jones said.
Jones said this approach would give a more accurate count of who’s actually infected, instead of waiting for days before symptoms arise.
ATLANTA HAWKS, STATE FARM TO GIVE FAMILIES GROCERIES
The Atlanta Hawks, State Farm, and Atlanta food insecurity organization Goodr are handing out fresh produce and groceries this Friday.
It’s one of several drive-thru grocery stores the NBA team has helped host during the coronavirus pandemic after its season was cut-off.
Officials said 500 families can be served, and Goodr will deliver groceries to seniors unable to walk or drive up for food.
This Friday’s location is at Lucky Shoals Park in Norcross, from 2 to 5 p.m. Families interested must register online. For more information, email info@goodr.org
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