COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been eleven new cases of COVID-19 and 23 recoveries, reducing the number of active cases by twelve to 82. One more county resident is hospitalized with the virus today than yesterday, and one of those hospitalized is in the ICU. So far in the month of December, there have been no deaths from COVID-19 in Columbia County.   

With eleven positives out of 514 test results received, the positive percentage rate for today is 2.1 percent. The seven day rolling average, according to Gossips' calculations, is 3.2 percent--that is, 96 positives out of 2,980 test results.

The CCDOH appended to its report today the information that the majority of the new cases this week can be traced to Thanksgiving gatherings and warns: "Living room spread is blamed for most if not all of our active cases. Gatherings of any size is [sic] a risk. If you feel sick, STAY HOME." The warning from the CCDOH ignores the fact that COVID-19 can be spread by people who are asymptomatic.