Georgia Southern University reported fewer COVID cases for the fifth consecutive week, the Bulloch County Schools System completed a week that saw its lowest level of new cases and quarantines since school started and Bulloch County recorded its lowest full week-long total of new cases since June 8-14.
The positive downward trend of coronavirus cases continued at Georgia Southern as COVID-19 cases declined for the fifth consecutive week. For the week of Sept. 28-Oct. 4, the university reported 12 total cases — 11 self-reported and one university-confirmed. Ten of the cases were on the Statesboro campus.
The drop in cases began after Georgia Southern reported 508 cases for the week of Aug. 24–30. Cases declined to 363 for Aug. 31–Sept. 6, 95 for Sept. 7–13, 54 for Sept. 14–20 and 19 for Sept. 21-27.
Georgia Southern’s next update of COVID cases will be Monday, Oct. 12.
Bulloch County Schools recorded five new cases among students and staff in the past full week, the lowest number of weekly cases since school started on Aug. 17. The number of students and staff placed under quarantine for the past week – 64 for Sept. 27-Oct. 3 – also was the lowest number of new quarantines in a seven-day period since schools opened.
On Monday, the school system reported two new cases and now has had a total of 96 COVID cases since Aug. 17.
Bulloch County
With 40 new cases reported in the seven days that ended Sunday, Bulloch County recorded its lowest full week-long total since June 8-14 when there were 25 new cases.
To go with seven new cases on Monday, Bulloch County had five on Saturday and nine on Sunday and has now recorded 2,929 COVID cases, which have resulted in 28 deaths and 133 local residents being hospitalized since the pandemic began in March. The one hospitalization reported Monday was the first of a Bulloch County resident since Sept. 24.
In his report Monday, Public Safety/Emergency Management Agency Director Ted Wynn said East Georgia Regional Medical Center staff were caring for 14 patients, with two patients on ventilators.
Bulloch EMS has transported a total of 125 people with probable COVID-19 and 133 with confirmed cases, he said.
Georgia reported 806 new cases Monday to go with 1,484 new cases on Saturday, and 880 on Sunday, bringing the state’s total number of confirmed cases up to 323,714. Georgia reported 28 deaths on both Saturday and Sunday and 30 on Monday, raising the death toll to 7,192.
As of Monday afternoon, 210,043 Americans had died from coronavirus, and the U.S. had recorded 7,447,363 confirmed cases, according to statistics from the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.
Local colleges
East Georgia State College recorded two new, self-reported cases of COVID-19 for the week on the Statesboro campus for the week of Sept. 28-Oct. 4. The cases were the first on the Statesboro campus since Sept. 14. The college has had a total of 78 cases across its three campuses since Aug. 17.
Ogeechee Technical College reported two COVID cases on its Bulloch County campus, the week of Sept. 28-Oct. 4. The college has had a total of 32 cases across its campuses since Aug. 17.
OTC will report again on Monday, Oct. 12.
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 Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Luetta Moore Park, 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.