Officials with the North Georgia Health District are warning that the current outbreak in Whitfield County is worse than the one in July when dozens of people died and hundreds were infected with COVID-19.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Whitfield County is dealing with the state’s worst coronavirus outbreak based on new cases over the last 14 days per 100,000 residents.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, Whitfield County has recorded 1,002 new cases in the past 14 days. The seven-day moving average for new cases is 83, the highest mark since the start of the pandemic.
For every 100,000 people, Whitfield County has seen 957 new cases in the previous two weeks. The next closest county is Chattahoochee County with 874 cases per 100,000 people. Chattahoochee County also has about 90,000 fewer people than Whitfield County.
In neighboring Murray County, the 700 cases per 100,000 residents in the previous two weeks is the fourth-highest rate in the state.