December 15, 2021 Update

Georgia Recovery Project Extended Through March 2022

The Georgia Recovery Project (GRP), a COVID-19 focused arm of the Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), received an extension that will allow their services to help Georgians through March 2022.

The workforce shortage in the mental health field served as a prime catalyst for FEMA & SAMHSA to continue the GRP’s services, with the US Chamber of Commerce recently polling Americans who became unemployed during the pandemic and more than half (53%) saying they were “not very active at all” in their current job searches.

The GRP provides counseling to all Georgians via the Emotional Support Line (ESL) – a hotline, accessible via call and text messaging, that provides an outlet for those struggling with handling their emotions – as well as routing to community resources. The ESL is free, confidential and allows all callers to remain anonymous.

Georgia COVID-19 Emotional Support Line

• Call or text 866-399-8938
• Available Monday-Sunday, 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Positive UGA COVID-19 Tests Reported Through DawgCheck - (Dec. 6-12)

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.

For the week of December 6, there were 22 reported positive COVID-19 tests through DawgCheck.

Last Five Weeks of Tests

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 do 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, 2020 UGA has supported surveillance testing 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 (symptomatic) for the week of December 6 include a total of 178 clinical tests, with 7 positive results, for a positivity rate of 3.9%.
• Results of asymptomatic testing: 375 tests were conducted with 3 positive results for a positivity rate of 0.8%.

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.