The spike in new coronavirus cases being seen across the rest of the nation has not, so far, affected Bulloch County. Bulloch continues to remain under 10 new reported cases per day, while the U.S. set a single-day record for most cases with 121,504 on Thursday alone. 

Public Safety/Emergency Management Agency Director Ted Wynn said Bulloch reported 8 new case on both Thursday and Friday. 

Daily new confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. have surged 45% over the past two weeks, to a record 7-day average of 86,352, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Deaths are also on the rise, up 15 percent to an average of 846 deaths every day.

In his report Friday, Wynn said the county has now recorded 3,153 total COVID cases, which have resulted in 33 deaths and 148 local residents being hospitalized since the pandemic began in March.

East Georgia Regional Medical Center staff were caring for 16 COVID patients, with five patients on ventilators.

Bulloch EMS has transported a total of 128 people with probable COVID-19 and 149 with confirmed cases.

Georgia reported 1,797 new cases on Friday and 1,857 on Thursday, bringing the state’s total number of confirmed cases up to 370,106. Georgia reported 34 deaths on Friday and 50 Thursday, raising the death toll to 8,072. 

As of Friday afternoon, 235,941 Americans had died from coronavirus, and the U.S. had recorded 9,678,326 confirmed cases, according to statistics from the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

Bulloch Schools

Bulloch County Schools recorded two new cases since Wednesday. The schools system now has had a total of 128 COVID cases since Aug. 17.

Local colleges

New positive cases at Georgia Southern have leveled off in recent weeks, with 18 cases reported for the week of Oct. 26–Nov. 1. That follows 14 new cases for the week of Oct. 19–25 and 19 for Oct. 12–18. Georgia Southern will report again on Monday.

East Georgia State College reported its first new case on Thursday of COVID-19 on any of its three campuses since Oct. 21. The sole case was reported on the Swainsboro campus. The college has had a total of 93 cases across its three campuses since Aug. 17.

Ogeechee Technical College reported no new COVID case on its campuses the week of Oct. 26–Nov. 1. The college has had a total of 37 cases across its campuses since Aug. 17. OTC will report again on Monday

Testing sites

The Bulloch County Health Department, 1 W. Altman St. in Statesboro, continues to serve as a COVID-19 testing site, or specimen point of collection. It operates 8 a.m. till noon Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. To schedule a free test, call (855) 473-4374 or visit www.sehdph.org/covid-19, where a test can be scheduled online.

Additional free COVID-19 testing continues Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon at Luetta Moore Park, 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.