It’s never a good sign when a governor calls a 10:00 pm press conference on a Monday night. The announcement of the press conference was vague regarding the cause but considering the attendees included Dr. Kathleen Toomey, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health, and Dr. Cherie Drenzek, State Epidemiologist, it was easy to guess the reason.
Kemp announced that two Georgians have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. One individual had recently traveled to Italy, returned and then began exhibiting some symptoms. The two individuals are currently on self-quarantine at home in Fulton County but are showing minimal symptoms.
“Our team has been working around the clock to prepare for any scenario. Already, state health officials have established contact with these individuals to gather more information, monitor their condition, and determine any exposure,” said Kemp. “They are confident that our efforts to prepare for this moment have enabled us to manage these cases appropriately and minimize any risks moving forward. We remain in constant communication with our partners at all levels of government, and we will continue to update members of the public as information becomes available.”
Kemp emphasized that Georgians who start feeling ill should not go out but call their medical provider.
Toomey said that the individual who traveled to Italy was not showing symptoms on the plane and so it is not believed that anyone else on that flight would have been infected. Infection occurs from patients that have exhibited symptoms such as coughing or sneezing. Symptoms can appear as quickly as two days but it may take as long as fourteen days after exposure.
“We knew that Georgia would likely have confirmed cases of COVID-19, and we planned for it. The immediate risk of COVID-19 to the general public, however, remains low at this time,” said Kathleen E. Toomey, MD, MPH, DPH Commissioner. “I cannot emphasize enough the need for all Georgians to follow the simple precautions that DPH always urges to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses.”
Besides coughing or sneezing, other symptoms can include flu-like symptoms such as fever, runny nose or difficulty breathing. Toomey also noted that for now, the main sign would be whether you or a household member recently traveled to one of a handful of places where the infection has become a major problem, such as China, Italy or South Korea. Individuals who have recently traveled to these places should monitor their health and if symptoms do occur, contact their medical provider.
Kemp, Toomey and Drenzek were flanked at the press conference by Adjutant General Tom Carden, Georgia National Guard; Director Homer Bryson, Georgia Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security; and Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King, Georgia Department of Insurance. All these individuals have been fully involved in the planning and ongoing actions to deal with the virus.
The announcement came the same day as Kemp named a coronavirus task force to deal with the ongoing situation. At the time, there were no known infected patients but the task force quickly became a much busier group.
