Coronavirus Updates: COVID-19 Stresses Georgia’s Health System

“We’re starting to see, and I think we will potentially see depending on where this thing goes: medical supply shortages, certainly hospital bed space is a serious concern, probably one of my biggest that we are worried about,” Kemp said.

Kemp said Georgia has received a shipment of medical equipment from the Strategic National Stockpile, a federal cache of health care supplies. The state has ordered additional supplies from private companies, Kemp says, but has no sense when they might arrive.

In the meantime, Georgia continues to ramp up its ability to test patients for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Currently, the state does not have the ability to test everyone who might want one, even people with mild illness.

Dr. Kathleen Toomey runs the Georgia Department of Public Health. She said the agency is prioritizing testing for people involved with the state’s response to the pandemic and those most at risk.

“That includes healthcare workers and others who are needed in this response. Those vulnerable individuals who are at a high risk because they may be elderly, have chronic health conditions,” she said on the video conference call.

Toomey said the state has processed about 420 coronavirus tests in total, and that testing capacity should increase this week to at least 200 a day by the end of the week.

Another part of expanded testing will be testing locations set up in every one of Georgia’s 18 public health districts. A spokesperson for Kemp said his office hopes to have them all up and running by the beginning of next week.

Georgia’s department of public health has confirmed 146 cases of COVID-19 in Georgia. One individual has died.

Atlanta Airport Closes 2 Checkpoints

Atlanta airport officials are responding to a steep drop in flight traffic because of the coronavirus.

The airport tweeted that the north and south terminal checkpoints are closed, with a “coronavirus update” hashtag. Those still flying out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Tuesday might want to get there extra early.

Officials said the closures are because of passenger demand at the airport. Travelers are being directed to the main checkpoint.

This comes as a TSA screener from the Atlanta airport recently tested positive for COVID-19. The worker is one of seven TSA screeners nationwide to have the virus.

Georgia Ports See Less Cargo

Georgia’s ports are expecting a 20% decline in cargo volume this month because of the coronavirus pandemic, said Griff Lynch, executive director for the Georgia Ports Authority.

It takes about 30 days for ships from China to arrive in Georgia and the coronavirus crisis was hitting its peak there about a month ago.

“The cargo that originates in Asia, arrives now, so they had issues there and weren’t loading as much on the vessels,” Lynch said.

If the U.S.  gets a grip on the coronavirus pandemic, he expects the ports to be back at full capacity by the middle of April.

“We can see what’s on the water now,” Lynch said. “And what we can see coming to us is that there is cargo rising every week.”

There’s also growing demand for Georgia exports, he said, which could offset some of the March losses.

February was a record month for Georgia’s ports.

Hospitals restricting Visitors

Some of Georgia’s largest hospital systems are restricting visitors to stop the spread of COVID-19 to vulnerable patients.

Piedmont Healthcare said visitors at all 11 of its hospitals will have to pass a health screening to get inside.

Officials said that means no more than two visitors will be allowed per patient, and no children under 14, unless coming in for treatment.

Wellstar Health System ALSO says social in-person visits are suspended until further notice, and people should be prepared to communicate by FaceTime or Skype with their loved ones.

There are a few special circumstances, like women in labor or experiencing post-partum issues or if a patient is in a life or death situation.

Braves Season Start Unclear

It’s still not clear when the Atlanta Braves will begin their 2020 season.

Major League Baseball said it is not ready to set a new date for Opening Day, but said it would act in accordance with CDC recommendations discouraging gatherings of 50 people or more for the next eight weeks.

That would mean the season wouldn’t start until sometime in May.

The remainder of spring training was canceled last week because of the coronavirus.

The Braves were originally set to open their season a week from Thursday.

Georgia University System Moves To Online Classes

The University System of Georgia says it will move to online instruction for all its courses for the remainder of the semester.

The move affects 26 institutions, including the University of Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State and Clayton State

These schools previously announced a two-week break in classes because of the coronavirus.

They’re also closing residence halls, except for students who can’t return home.

Decatur Shutting Down Municipal Buildings

The city of Decatur says it’s shutting down its municipal buildings beginning Tuesday in order to “continue to protect the health and safety” of its employees and the community.

The city says fire and other city services will remain fully operational.