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Care facilities remain hotspots amid coronavirus growth in Georgia

In this Oct. 12, 2019 photo provided by Linda McCall, Army veteran Ralph McCall, is poses in Decatur, Ga. Ralph McCall is one of dozens of veterans who are being moved from a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs nursing home in Decatur, Georgia, to other VA facilities. The agency said the veterans will be safer in other VA locations less affected by the coronavirus. The agency is also trying to clear out space in the facility in case the adjacent hospital needs it for a surge of COVID-19 patients. Family members are protesting the move. (Linda McCall via AP)
In this Oct. 12, 2019 photo provided by Linda McCall, Army veteran Ralph McCall, is poses in Decatur, Ga. Ralph McCall is one of dozens of veterans who are being moved from a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs nursing home in Decatur, Georgia, to other VA facilities. The agency said the veterans will be safer in other VA locations less affected by the coronavirus. The agency is also trying to clear out space in the facility in case the adjacent hospital needs it for a surge of COVID-19 patients. Family members are protesting the move. (Linda McCall via AP) In this Oct. 12, 2019 photo provided by Linda McCall, Army veteran Ralph McCall, is poses in Decatur, Ga. Ralph McCall is one of dozens of veterans who are being moved from a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs nursing home in Decatur, Georgia, to other VA facilities. The agency said the veterans will be safer in other VA locations less affected by the coronavirus. The agency is also trying to clear out space in the facility in case the adjacent hospital needs it for a surge of COVID-19 patients. Family members are protesting the move. (Linda McCall via AP)

By JEFF AMY / The Associated Press 3 min read

ATLANTA (AP) — The number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus crossed 13,000 Monday in Georgia, while the number of deaths from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus rose to at least 464.

Nursing homes and assisted living facilities continue to be hotspots for infections in the state. The South Central Health District said Sunday that 16 people have tested positive for the virus at an unnamed long-term care facility in Wilcox County, northeast of Albany. The state Department of Public Health last week confirmed infections in 80 long-term care facilities statewide, with at least 81 deaths resulting.

Wilcox County is one of a number of counties statewide that has recently seen jackrabbit growth in the number of confirmed infections, along with Muscogee County, which includes Columbus, and Richmond County, which includes Augusta. It’s unclear whether that growth represents spread of the disease or more testing. Georgia has struggled to ramp up testing, crossing the 50,000 test mark only in recent days.

The highest per-capita rate of infections remains in southwest Georgia. Randolph County has reported 117 confirmed infections, the highest rate in Georgia and more than 10 times the rate statewide. Dougherty County, which includes Albany, has reported 77 deaths, most in the state. Neighboring Terrell County, with 10 deaths, has the highest per-capita death rate.

Dougherty and Terrell counties have African American majorities. Statewide, a majority of deaths where race is known are among black people. A third of the state’s population is African American.