January 19, 2022 Update

Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests by U.S. Postal Service

Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order four free at-?home COVID-?19 tests provided by the U.S. government. The tests are completely free. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days and will be delivered through the U.S. Postal Service.

The tests available for order:

Are rapid antigen at-home tests, not PCR
Can be taken anywhere
Give results within 30 minutes (no lab drop-off required)
Work whether or not you have COVID-?19 symptoms
Work whether or not you are up to date on your COVID-?19 vaccines
Are also referred to as self-tests or over-the-counter (OTC) tests

Tests can be ordered online at COVIDtests.gov. Tests will start shipping the week of January 24.

To place an order, all you need is your name and residential address. No ID, credit card, or health insurance information is required. You may also share your email address to get updates on your order.

Those who have difficulty accessing the internet or need additional support placing an order can call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you take an at-home test:

If you begin having COVID-?19 symptoms like fever, sore throat, runny nose, or loss of taste or smell, or
At least 5 days after you come into close contact with someone with COVID-?19, or
When you’re going to gather with a group of people, especially those who are at risk of severe disease or may not be up to date on their COVID-?19 vaccines.

For more on when to use at-home tests, see the latest CDC self-testing guidance.

There are numerous other options to get tested for free, including over 20,000 free testing sites across the country. If you have health insurance, your insurance will also cover the cost of over-the-counter, at-home tests (up to 8 at-home tests per month for each person on your plan).

COVID-19 Cases, Admissions, Deaths & Vaccinations in Athens-Clarke County

Positive UGA COVID-19 Tests Reported Through DawgCheck - (Jan. 10-16)

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 January 10, there were 992 reported positive COVID-19 tests through DawgCheck.

Last Five Weeks of Tests

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 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.
For the week of January 9, 2022, the University Health Center conducted a total of 523 clinical tests, with 235 positive results, for a positivity rate of 45%.
Results of asymptomatic testing for the week of January 9, 2022: 2,343 tests (12% faculty, 18% staff & 70% students) had 345 positive results for a positivity rate of 14.72%.

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.

Clarke County School District COVID-19 Dashboard - January 19, 2022

The CCSD COVID-19 Dashboard displays positive cases in the past 14 days and 30 days across the district and by each school, with hourly updates.

As of 7:30 PM on January 19, 2022, the dashboard shows:

997 confirmed cases in January 2022 (596 on Jan. 12 report)
49 confirmed cases in December 2021
33 confirmed cases in November 2021
71 confirmed cases in October 2021
312 confirmed cases in September 2021
1,003 confirmed cases in the past 30 days (617 on Jan. 12 report)
867 new confirmed cases in the past two weeks (598 on Jan. 12 report)
5% of students and staff with confirmed cases in the last 30 days (4.1% on Jan. 12 report)
2.1% students and staff currently in quarantine (not reported on Jan. 12 report)

Clarke County School District COVID-19 Dashboard

Free COVID-19 Mobile Vaccine Events

Below are some upcoming opportunities for free vaccinations from the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) Northeast Health District (NEHD) at mobile locations. (Schedules subject to change by NEHD - verify information on the NEHD website.)

No appointment needed
Walk-ups welcome
No insurance required
No ID required
$100 gift card incentive program for eligible participants
Vaccines for 5 to 11-year-olds are available at the county health department clinics – they may not be available via the mobile outreach events unless specifically noted.
Anyone under 18 years of age MUST have a parent present or a signed consent form.

Saturday, January 22
WOW Community Outreach Center
1850 Danielsville Road, Athens, GA
9:00 AM - Noon
Pediatric (5-11 years old) Doses Available

Monday, January 24 - Friday, January 28
UGA Tate Student Center (UGA Students)
Tate Student Center (Room 137) - 45 Baxter Street
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

School COVID Vaccine Events

None currently scheduled (check site for updates)

Parents who wish to have their child vaccinated at a school-based event must return a signed consent form.

The Athens-Clarke County COVID-19 vaccine incentive program provides $100 gift cards for those who live, work or attend school in Athens-Clarke County.

If you have previously (on or after September 3) received your first dose at the Clarke County Health Department or one of their outreach events, you are still eligible for the incentive for your second dose at either mobile events or the Health Department.

Gift cards are available from the Northeast Health District to first-time vaccinated individuals only at mobile vaccination events.

Upcoming event listings are updated every Friday online on the NEHD website

Resources:

Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines at bit.ly/NEHDCOVIDVaccine.
PublicHealthIsForEveryone.com
Clarke County Health Department on Facebook