May 26, 2021 Update

Threshold Level for Local Mask Ordinance

The Mayor and Commission approved a 16th declaration of a local state of emergency at their Regular Session on May 4, 2021. The declaration is in effect through June 13, 2021 unless extended, rescinded, superseded, or altered by the Mayor and Commission.

Under this declaration, the ordinance requires facial coverings or masks in entities or public places. Section 7(a) of the declaration states that the local mask ordinance will not be enforced when confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Athens-Clarke County over the previous 14 days is below 100 cases per 100,000 people according to the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH daily status report). This threshold level is also included in the current Governor's statewide Executive Order.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Athens-Clarke County per 100,000 has remained below this threshold since May 3.

However, a federal order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - which supersedes local and state orders - continues to require people to wear masks on public transportation, which includes buses.

Should the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Athens-Clarke County rise above 100 cases per 100,000 people, enforcement of the local mask ordinance inside entities and in public places would resume under the 16th declaration.

Read the full declaration online (PDF)

University of Georgia COVID-19 Vaccine Panel Discussion

Four University of Georgia experts answered some of the most frequently asked questions about COVID-19 vaccines in a recent virtual panel discussion held on campus. The panel discussed a variety of topics related to vaccine safety and efficacy. They also shared their thoughts on the importance of vaccinations as part of the worldwide effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

Watch on YouTube

Key Things to Know about COVID-19 Vaccines

Vaccines are now more widely accessible. Everyone ages 12 and older is recommend to get a COVID-19 vaccination.

Note: Pfizer is the only COVID vaccine currently authorized for children aged 12-17.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently updated key information to know about COVID-19 vaccines:

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective
People may experience side effects after vaccination. These are normal and should go away within a few days.
After a vaccination, it typically takes two weeks for the body to build protection again the virus that causes COVID-19.
People are not fully vaccinated until 2 weeks after the 2nd dose of a two-dose vaccine or two weeks after a one-dose vaccine.
People who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic.

There are several ways for residents to find nearby public and private vaccination providers:

Visit vaccines.gov, publichealthathens.com, or accgov.com/coronavirus
Text a zip code to 438829
Call 1-800-232-0233

Georgia Department of Public Health Daily Status Report

May 26 Case Update for Athens-Clarke County

The Wednesday, May 26 update shows an increase of 24 positive cases and 1 death since Wednesday, May 19.

As of May 25, 30.3% of ACC residents were fully vaccinated.

For reference, here are the cumulative numbers from the beginning of each month:

May 1, 2021 - 12,752
April 1, 2021 - 12,439
March 1, 2021 - 12,004
February 1, 2021 - 11,162
January 1, 2021 - 8,580
December 1 - 6,732
November 1 - 5,872
October 1 - 5,121
September 1 - 3,082
August 1 - 1,694
July 1 - 574
June 1 - 293
May 1 - 155
April 1 - 54
March 1 - 4

The Daily Status Report is now updated once daily at 3:00 p.m. to allow time to process and validate laboratory and case reports. The Daily Status Report is available at https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report. The statewide Vaccination Dashboard is available at https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/3d8eea39f5c1443db1743a4cb8948a9c.

Positive UGA COVID-19 Tests Reported Through DawgCheck - Week 40 (May 17-23)

The University of Georgia DawgCheck tool gives members of the campus community the ability to self-monitor and to facilitate information sharing internally and with the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH). Any student or employee with a positive COVID-19 test is required to report the test in DawgCheck.

Last Five Weeks of Tests

Positive COVID-19 Tests Reported Through DawgCheck

Visit the UGA Health Center Website with these graphs and other updates.

The table above reflects the total number of positive test results reported through DawgCheck each week. It is updated every Wednesday. Please note the following:

Positive tests reported through DawgCheck are from any of the approximately 50,000 faculty, staff, and students connected to the University of Georgia, whether located in Athens, extended campuses, extension offices across the state, or even other states and countries for students who elected to take online classes.
The totals may include reports from individuals who have not been on campus recently, there may be delays in reporting, and the totals may even include individuals who have recovered.
Therefore, the data does not serve as an accurate barometer of the current status of COVID-19 at any point in time at any one of UGA’s campuses.
Since August 10, UGA has supported surveillance testing (Legion Field) for asymptomatic individuals and clinical (Health Center) testing resources for symptomatic students as a means of distancing the two populations and optimizing the use of Health Center staff and the facility. Because students are showing symptoms when they request a test at the Health Center, it is expected that its tests would have a significantly higher positivity rate than would be the case for those who are asymptomatic when tested.
Results of testing at the University Health Center for the week of May 17 include a total of 76 COVID-19 tests; there were no positive tests. The positivity rate was 0%.
For the week of May 17, 100% of the tests in the “Other” category were performed in Clarke and its 5 adjoining counties. No students reported a test done outside of the state. No instructional faculty members reported a positive test.

DawgCheck and other University of Georgia-related COVID information is available at the University Health Center website at https://uhs.uga.edu/healthtopics/covid-19-health-and-exposure-updates.

Frequency of Updates

This coronavirus email / text update is sent weekly during normal weeks, usually on Wednesdays, with other updates as necessary with important information.

Questions can still be directed to www.accgov.com/coronavirus, which will be updated regularly, the info line at 706-613-3333, or coronavirus@accgov.com.