Statewide COVID reporting will look a little different. Starting Friday, April 15, COVID data on the Georgia Department of Public Health dashboard will be updated weekly rather than daily.
Moving forward, healthcare facilities will also only need to report PCR test results and positive antigen test results to the state agency per CDC guidlines
The DPH cites an increase in at-home testing as reason to focus instead on different indicators of breakthrough infections, such as county hospital admissions and vaccination rates. The first weekly report is expected next Wednesday.
“We believe weekly COVID reporting will continue to support a sustainable response in Georgia while informing decision-making around transmission and infection rates,” said Kathleen E. Toomey, commissioner of the Georgia DPH, in a press release.
Though new reporting methods may indicate that we’re moving on, people should still be wary of infection. Easily transmissible COVID variants aren’t going anywhere, and Associate Professor at the University of Georgia College of Public Health, Grace Bagwell Adams, says stay alert.
“If numbers start to go up, and especially for hospitals starting to get strained, we really need to take those precautions and wear the appropriate mask when that happens," Bagwell Adams says.
