The novel coronavirus continues to spread in many nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in Northwest Georgia.
NHC HealthCare Rossville reported Friday afternoon that 44 of its residents had tested positive for COVID-19 and seven were hospitalized because of the virus. One resident has died.
In addition to the residents, 24 employees have tested positive for the coronavirus. Thirteen have already recovered, but none of the residents had recovered as of Thursday afternoon.
At the beginning of June, the facility reported a total of 52 people at its facility testing positive - 30 residents and 22 staff members.
Elsewhere in Walker County, Shepherd Hills had one resident test positive.
The 69 cases in these facilities make up 32% of Walker County's cases. There have been 211 confirmed cases in Walker County as of Friday afternoon and 44 of those came from antibody testing.
At the Pruitt Health nursing home in Fort Oglethorpe, 33 residents and 25 employees have tested positive, according to the state health department.
The worst outbreak in the area so far is at the Calhoun Health Care Center, where 11 residents have died due to the virus. In total, 53 residents tested positive for the coronavirus but 42 have fully recovered. Sixteen employees have tested positive as well.
Elsewhere in Gordon County, nine employees have tested positive at Gordon Health and Rehab.
The 94 cases in those facilities make up 40% of Gordon County's cases.
Two employees at both Morningside of Dalton and the Garden at Royal Oaks have tested positive ,while one employee has tested positive at Quinton Memorial Health and Rehab in Dalton.
One resident who tested positive at Regency Park Health and Rehab has recovered, and three employees there have tested positive.
No cases have been confirmed in any facilities in Chattooga, Murray or Dade counties. Five people at a nursing home in Dade County who tested positive for COVID-19 have since been tested again for the virus, and the second results came back negative.
The rise in cases can be attributed to additional testing, officials said. The state's health department announced Friday that 97% of nursing home residents in facilities with 25 or more beds have been tested for COVID-19.
In all other long-term care facilities aside from nursing homes, 74% of residents and 54% of employees have been tested statewide.
Statewide, 6,259 COVID-19 cases have been found in 430 long-term care facilities as of Friday. Of those cases, 3,269 have recovered and 1,120 have died. In those facilities, 2,759 employees tested positive.
The deaths in nursing homes due to COVID-19 make up nearly 48% of all the deaths in the state.
Contact Patrick Filbin at pfilbin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickFilbin.