Sunday, January 31, 2021

Rolling Average of Added COVID-19 Cases Continues To Drop In Northeast Health District As New Cases Total 194 On Sunday

***No New COVID-19 Deaths Recorded***

The seven-day rolling average of added COVID-19 cases continued to decline in the Northeast Health District with the release of the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report on Sunday, while the average of added deaths remained unchanged.

The District added just 194 new cases, compared with 271 added on Sunday of last week, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases fell to 358.6 on Sunday from 369.6 on Saturday.

Saturday, January 30, 2021

Northeast Health District Has Record 19 COVID-19 Deaths Listed In Daily Status Report, But Cases Of Disease Decline

***Clarke County Has Four Confirmed COVID-19 Deaths***

The Northeast Health District listed 19 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the Saturday Department of Public Health Daily Status Report–a new record–and the seven-day rolling average of added deaths in the 10-county District is just less than 10 deaths per day.

Deaths lag cases, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases declined on Saturday.

Four of the 19 added confirmed deaths were in Clarke County, which now has 89 deaths attributed to the disease.

Friday, January 29, 2021

Department Of Public Health Reports 12 Confirmed COVID-19 Deaths And 442 New Cases In Northeast Health District

***One Of Deaths In Clarke County***

The Northeast Health District added 12 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 442 new cases of the disease with the release of the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report on Friday. The seven-day rolling average of added deaths and cases increased slightly.

The confirmed deaths were spread across six of the 10 counties in the Northeast Health District and included a death of an 81-year-old female in Clarke County without a chronic condition. Clarke County now has 85 deaths from the coronavirus.

Thursday, January 28, 2021

Northeast Health District Adds Seven COVID-19 Deaths, 395 New Cases Of Disease; COVID-19 Patients At Area Hospitals Decline

***New Oconee School Positive COVID-19 Tests Announced***

The Department of Public Health recorded seven new confirmed deaths from COVID-19 and 395 new cases of the disease in the 10 counties of the Northeast Health District with the release of the Daily Status Report on Thursday.

The seven-day rolling averages of added confirmed deaths and added cases both declined on Thursday.

The seven confirmed deaths in the Daily Status Report consisted of one death each in Barrow, Greene, and Jackson counties and four deaths in Walton County.

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Northeast Health District Adds 22 COVID-19 Deaths In State Health Reports On Wednesday

***Oconee County Reports Three Of Those Deaths***

The Northeast Health District added a record 16 confirmed deaths in Wednesday’s Department of Public Health Daily Status Report, with one of them in Oconee County. Eleven of those deaths were in Walton County.

In addition, the District added six deaths in the Department of Community Health Long-Term Care Report. Two of those were in Oconee County.

The District added 341 new cases of the disease, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases declined on Wednesday from Tuesday.

Oconee County Library Board Votes Overwhelmingly To Move Library To Wire Park

***Discussion Focused On Community Comments***

The Oconee County Library Board of Trustees voted 9 to 2 On Monday to move the Oconee County Library from its current location at 1080 Experiment Station Road on the northwest side of Watkinsville to the commercial redevelopment project called Wire Park on the southeast of the city.

In taking the action, the Board reversed a decision it had made by an 8 to 2 vote in July of 2019 to move the library to the county’s planned administrative building just outside the city’s northern boundaries.

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Northeast Health District Adds 15 COVID-19 Deaths In Tuesday State Health Reports And 571 New Cases Of Disease

***Deaths In Oconee And Clarke Counties***

The Northeast Health District added 13 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday and 571 new cases of the disease with the release of the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report. The seven-day rolling average of added deaths and cases increased.

In addition, the Department of Community Health listed two deaths in the Northeast Health District in its Long-Term Care Facility Report.

Three of the confirmed deaths listed in the Daily Status Report were in Clarke County. One of the deaths in the Long-Term Care Facility Report was in Oconee County.

Monday, January 25, 2021

State Reports List Four COVID-19 Deaths In Northeast Health District And 209 New Cases Of Disease

Rolling Average Of Added Cases Declines

The Northeast Health District added 209 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, according to the Department of Public Health, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases dropped for the second day in a row.

The District added two confirmed deaths in the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report, and the seven-day rolling average of added confirmed deaths remained unchanged.

The Department of Community Health also reported two deaths at area long term care facilities on Monday.

Sunday, January 24, 2021

Rolling Average Of Added COVID-19 Cases In Northeast Health District Drops With Release Of Sunday Department Of Public Health Report

***Area Hospitals Report Drop In COVID-19 Patients***

The Department of Public Health listed 271 new cases of COVID-19 in the Northeast Health District in Sunday’s Daily Status Report, down from the 325 listed on Sunday of last week, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases dropped to 438.9 from 446.6 on Saturday.

The Daily Status Report did not include any new deaths in the Northeast Health District, and the seven-day rolling average of added deaths remained unchanged at 7.1 deaths per day. Sundays are light reporting days, and the District also did not have any new deaths listed on Sunday of last week.

Oconee County Library Board Meeting To Discuss Competing Proposals For New Library

***Follows Presentations By County And City***

The Oconee County Library Board of Trustees is holding a called meeting at 4:30 p.m. on Monday at the Bogart Library to discuss and likely make a decision on a new location for the library in Watkinsville.

The called meeting follows the regular meeting of the Board on Jan. 11 at which it heard presentations on two different proposals for sites of the Oconee County Library now at 1080 Experiment Station Road in Watkinsville.

Saturday, January 23, 2021

Northeast Health District Adds Seven COVID-19 Deaths And 651 Cases; Added Death Rolling Average Down, Case Average Up

***Area Hospitals Report Increase In COVID-19 Patients***

The Northeast Health District recorded seven confirmed deaths from COVID-19 and 651 new cases of the disease on Saturday with release of the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report .

In a reversal of trends, the seven-day rolling average of confirmed deaths fell slightly, while the seven-day rolling average of added cases increased.

Property Owner Asks For Postponement Of Rezone Decision On Shopping Center At Oconee Connector And Mars Hill Road

***Seeks Time To Respond To Negative Recommendation***

The property owner seeking to build a shopping center on the Oconee Connector and Mars Hill Road has requested a deferral of the public hearing on its rezone request scheduled before the Oconee County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 2.

Deferred Tax LLC of Lawrenceville said it needs time to respond to comments from Tuesday’s Oconee County Planning Commission meeting.

The Planning Commission voted 8 to 0 to recommend that the Board of Commissioners deny the rezone request from Deferred Tax LLC for just less than 47 acres at the corner of Mars Hill Road and the Oconee Connector for a shopping center that would include a Publix.

Friday, January 22, 2021

State Health Reports List 12 COVID-19 Deaths In Northeast Health District On Friday and 425 New Cases Of The Disease

***Rolling Average Of Added Cases Falls***

The Northeast Health District added 10 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 on Friday with the release of the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report and 425 new cases of the disease.

The seven-day rolling average of added confirmed deaths held steady at 7.3 deaths per day, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases dropped to 420.7 from 450.0 on Thursday.

The Department of Community Health listed two additional deaths in the area’s long-term care facilities. One of those was in Oconee County.

Daniells Bridge Road To Be Closed On Saturday For Sewer Line Construction Project

***Crane Needed To Lift Base Of Reservoir In Place***

Daniells Bridge Road will be closed to through traffic from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday for construction at the bridge over Barber Creek of the terminus of a new sewer line.

The construction on Saturday is unrelated to the ongoing construction along Daniells Bridge Road of a new gas line. That construction has resulted in periodic one-way traffic on the road.

On Saturday, barricades will be set up at Natalie Drive/Birchmore Drive on the north and Downs Creek subdivision on the south, and no traffic will be allowed beyond those points during the construction hours.

Thursday, January 21, 2021

Oconee County Reports Two New COVID-19 Deaths As Northeast Health District Reports Record 13 Confirmed Deaths From Disease

***Two Additional Deaths In Long-Term Care Homes***

The Northeast Health District added 13 confirmed COVID-19 deaths–a new record–with the release of the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report on Thursday as well as 547 new cases of the disease.

The Department of Community Health reported two additional deaths in the Northeast Health District in its Long-Term Care Facility Report on Thursday.

Two of the confirmed deaths in the Daily Status Report were in Oconee County, which also had a confirmed death in the Wednesday Report, and the county now has 45 confirmed deaths from COVID-19.

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Northeast Health District Adds 14 COVID-19 Deaths In Wednesday State Health Reports, 422 New Cases

***Four Of The Deaths Are In Oconee County***

State health reports on Friday listed 14 previously unreported deaths from COVID-19 in the Northeast Health District as well as 422 new cases of the disease.

Four of those deaths–one in the Department of Public Health Report and three in the Department of Community Health Report–were in Oconee County.

The Oconee County death listed in the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report was of a 78-year-old male with a chronic condition. Department of Public Health listings are of confirmed COVID-19 deaths, and Oconee County now has 43 such deaths.

Oconee County Planning Commission Recommends Against Approval Of Proposed Shopping Center At Mars Hill Road And Oconee Connector

***Publix Has Contract As Center Anchor***

The Oconee County Planning Commission voted 8 to 0 on Tuesday night to recommend to the Board of Commission that it deny the rezone request for a major shopping center at the intersection of Mars Hill Road and the Oconee Connector.

The Commission took its vote after a relatively short discussion following a public hearing in which citizens voiced strong opposition to the project, raising concerns about the environmental impact of the project and about traffic created by it.

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Northeast Health District Adds Record Number Of COVID-19 Deaths On Tuesday

***Clarke County Reports Second COVID-19 Death In As Many Days***

The Northeast Health District recorded a record 12 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 with the release on Tuesday of the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report.

The added deaths resulted in a jump in the seven-day rolling average of added, confirmed deaths to 7.7 deaths per day, up from 6.6 deaths per day on Monday.

The Daily Status Report also listed 489 new COVID-19 cases, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases dropped to 476.9 from 494.3 on Monday.

Monday, January 18, 2021

Rolling Average Of Added COVID-19 Cases Continues To Decrease In Northeast Health District; Rolling Average of Deaths Increases

***Clarke County Adds Another COVID-19 Death***

The Northeast Health District added 267 new COVID-19 cases on Monday and two deaths from the disease. The seven-day rolling average of added cases continued to decline, and the seven-day rolling average of added deaths continued to increase.

The two deaths were of an 84-year-old male in Clarke County with a chronic condition and of a 77-year-old female in Walton County with a chronic condition.

The deaths bring to 77 the number from COVID-19 in Clarke County and to 104 the number from the disease in Walton County.

Developer Of Proposed Shopping Center At Mars Hill Road And Oconee Connector Rejects Compromise On Access To Connector

***Also Dismisses Environmental Concerns***

The developer of a proposed shopping center at the intersection of Mars Hill Road and the Oconee Connector has rejected a compromise offered by the county’s planning staff regarding an entrance to the commercial complex off the Oconee Connector.

The county planning staff recommended that the proposed entrance allow only right-in and right-out traffic, rather than the complete signalized entrance the developer had sought.

At present, the 47-acre parcel does not have any access off the Connector.

Sunday, January 17, 2021

Rolling Average Of Added COVID-19 Cases Drops For Fourth Day In Row With Addition Of 325 New Cases In Northeast Health District

***No New Deaths Added***

The Northeast Health District added 325 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday with the release of the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report, resulting in a drop in the seven-day rolling average of added cases for the fourth day in a row.

The Sunday Daily Status Report did not include any new deaths from the coronavirus, as had been the case on Sunday a week ago, and the seven-day rolling average of added deaths remained unchanged at 6.4 deaths per day.

Saturday, January 16, 2021

Northeast Health District Adds Eight COVID-19 Confirmed Deaths As Case Numbers Decline

***Positive Rates Of Molecular Tests Also Dropping***

The Department of Public Health listed eight additional confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in the Northeast Health District in its Saturday Daily Status Report, bringing to 475 the total number of confirmed deaths from the disease in the 10-county District.

The District also added 470 new COVID-19 cases, bringing down the seven-day rolling average of added cases.

The District has added 45 deaths in the last seven days, for a seven-day rolling average of 6.4, up from 5.9 on Friday.

Oconee County Results In Jan. 5 Runoff Show Why Absentee Ballots Are Focal Point In Discussion Of Election Law Changes

***Board Of Elections And Registration Certified Jan. 5 Results***

In voting for the Jan. 5 runoff, fewer than one in four of the 23,565 Oconee County voters who cast a ballot did so on election day, according to the official election results certified by the Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration early Tuesday evening.

Nearly six in 10 of the voters participated in early in-person voting, and nearly two in 10 voted by absentee ballot.

Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue got 68.9 percent of the overall vote in the county on Jan. 5, and eventual statewide winner Democrat John Ossoff received 31.1 percent.

Perdue got 79.7 percent of the vote on election day and 71.6 percent of those voting advanced in-person, however, he received only 46.4 percent of the absentee ballot vote.

Friday, January 15, 2021

Northeast Health District Adds 10 New COVID-19 Deaths And 630 New Cases; Oconee County Schools Reports 40 Active COVID-19 Cases

***Four Additional Deaths Listed In Long-Term Care Report

The Northeast Health District added 10 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the Friday Department of Public Health Daily Status Report, bringing to 37 the number of deaths in the District added since Sunday and lifting the seven-day rolling average of added deaths to 5.9 from 5.3 on Thursday.

Three of the newly added deaths were in Clarke County.

The Department of Community Health also reported four deaths in the Northeast Health District in its Friday Long-Term Care Facility Report. That report has added 20 deaths at long-term facilities in the District since Sunday.

The District also added 630 new cases of COVID-19 in the Monday Daily Status Report.

Thursday, January 14, 2021

Northeast Health District Adds 11 Confirmed Deaths From COVID-19 For Second Day In A Row And 500 New COVID-19 Cases

***Five Deaths Also Reported At Long-Term Care Facilities***

The Northeast Health District added 11 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report on Thursday, the second day in a row 11 confirmed deaths from the disease were recorded in the District.

In addition, the Department of Community Health listed five previously unreported deaths for the Northeast Health District in its Long-Term Care Facility Report on Thursday.

The Daily Status Report added 500 new case of the disease in the 10-county District.

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Northeast Health District Adds Record 11 Confirmed Deaths From COVID-19 And 657 New Cases Of Disease

***Oconee Has One Death, Clarke Has Four***

The Northeast Health District has a record 11 confirmed deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report on Wednesday. Four of those deaths were in Clarke County, and another was in Oconee County.

Six of the 10 counties in the Northeast Health District recorded a death from the disease.

The Oconee County death was of an 81-year-old male without a chronic condition.

The Clarke County deaths were of a 76-year-old male with a chronic condition, a 78-year-old female without a chronic condition, an 84-year-old female with a chronic condition, and 90-plus-year old female without a chronic condition.

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Northeast Health District Adds Five COVID-19 Deaths, 611 New Cases Of Disease; Hospitals Report Slight Relief Of Pressure

***Practices And Clinics Allocated Less Than Half Of Requested Vaccines***

The Northeast Health District added five deaths attributed to COVID-19 in state health reports released on Tuesday and 611 new cases of COVID-19.

The Department of Public Health Daily Status Report listed four of the deaths: of a 37-year-old male in Barrow county without a known chronic condition, of a 62-year-old female in Jackson County without a chronic condition, of a 77-year-old female in Jackson County with a chronic condition, and of a 90-plus-year-old male in Walton County with a chronic condition.

Northeast Health District Adds 399 COVID-19 Cases, 11 Deaths; Area Hospitals Report Nearly Half Of Patients Have COVID-19

***Oconee Schools Report New Positive Tests***

The Northeast Health District added 399 COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths from the disease with the release on Monday of the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report and the Department of Community Health Long-Term Care Facility Report.

Area hospitals also reported record numbers of patients with the disease and record demand for Intensive Care Unit beds and ventilators.

Monday, January 11, 2021

Oconee County Library Board To Hear About Competing Proposals For New Library Site

***Board Meets Monday At Civic Center***

Representatives of the Watkinsville City Council and the Oconee County Board of Commissioners are scheduled to make separate presentations to the Oconee County Library Board of Trustees at its 4:30 p.m. meeting on Monday on competing sites for a new Oconee County Library.

The Library Board voted in July of 2019 to move the Oconee County Library from its current location at 1080 Experiment Station Road in Watkinsville to the planned new county administrative building at the intersection of U.S. 441 and SR 15 (North Main Street).

Sunday, January 10, 2021

Northeast Health District Adds 507 COVID-19 Cases, Increasing Seven-Day Rolling Average Of Added Cases

***No New Deaths Recorded***

The Northeast Health District added 507 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, resulting in an increase in the seven-day rolling average of added cases per day to 559.0 from 550.7 on Saturday.

The 10-county Northeast Health District did not add any deaths from the virus in Sunday’s Department of Public Health Daily Status Report, and the seven-day rolling average of added deaths remained unchanged at 2.9.

Saturday, January 09, 2021

Rolling Averages of Added COVID-19 Cases and Deaths Increased In Northeast Health District With Release Public Health Report

***Area Hospitals Report Increase In Number Of COVID-19 Patients***

The Northeast Health District added 730 new COVID-19 cases and four deaths from the disease with the release of the Georgia Department of Public Health Daily Status Report on Saturday.

The seven-day rolling average of added cases increased again in the 10-county Northeast Health District after a brief lull, and the seven-day rolling average of added deaths also increased, showing an clear uptick in deaths after a longer plateauing of that statistic.

Friday, January 08, 2021

Northeast Health District Adds 769 New COVID-19 Cases And Seven New COVID-19 Deaths In State Health Reports On Friday

***Oconee County Schools Report 11 Active COVID-19 Cases***

The Northeast Health District added 769 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday with the release of the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report as well as six deaths attributed to the disease.

The Department of Community Health listed a seventh death in its Long-Term Care Facility Report for Friday.

The addition of the 769 new cases in the Daily Status Report resulted in a seven-day rolling average of added cases of 514.1, up from 501.6 on Thursday.

Thursday, January 07, 2021

Northeast Health District Adds Two Confirmed Deaths From COVID-19 And 541 New Cases Of Disease

***Clarke County Has Four Confirmed COVID Deaths In Three Days***

The Northeast Health District added a confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in Clarke County and in Walton County on Thursday, resulting in a very slight increase in the seven-day rolling average of added deaths in the District. The District also added 541 new cases of the disease.

The Clarke County death was of an 86-year-old male without a chronic condition. The Walton County death was of a 78-year-old male, also without a chronic condition.

Wednesday, January 06, 2021

Northeast Health District Adds 10 COVID-19 Deaths And 447 New Cases Of Disease In State Health Reports On Wednesday

***Outbreaks At Long-Term Care Facilities Across District***

The Northeast Health District added 10 deaths from COVID-19 in two state health reports on Wednesday and added 447 new cases of the disease.

The Department of Public Health Daily Status Report–which lists the official confirmed deaths from COVID-19–recorded two deaths on Wednesday in Clarke County and two deaths in Barrow County.

Northeast Health District Adds 14 Deaths From COVID-19; Report Shows Widespread Outbreak Of Virus At Area Long-Term Care Facilities

***Area Hospitals See Slight Drop In Number Of COVID Patients***

The Georgia Department of Public Health added four deaths from COVID-19 in the Northeast Health District in the Tuesday Status Report along with 681 new cases of the disease.

In addition, the Department of Community Health on Tuesday listed in its Long-Term Care Facility Report 10 new resident deaths, 48 new cases among residents, and 14 new cases among staff of the Northeast Health District’s long-term care facilities.

Included were long-term care facilities in both Clarke and Oconee counties.

Tuesday, January 05, 2021

Republican Candidates Carry Oconee County In Runoff Election, But Democrats Gained Ground From November

***Turnout Was High, But Off From November***

Republican U.S. Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler won Oconee County in unofficial but complete election returns Tuesday, but the percentage of the votes the two received were less than a point higher than the percentages their party candidates received in November.

In contrast, Democrat Jon Ossoff increased his percent of the Oconee County vote in the race with Perdue from 29.7 to 31.1, and Democrat Raphael Warnock in the race with Loeffler received 31.8 percent of the vote on Tuesday compared with the 30.2 percent figure for all Democrats in the special election on Nov. 3.

Monday, January 04, 2021

Area Hospitals Report Record Number of COVID-19 Patients; Rolling Average Of Added COVID-19 Cases Increase In Health District

***No New Deaths From Disease Reported***

The Northeast Health District added only 238 new cases of COVID-19 with the release of the Daily Status Report of the Department of Public Health on Monday, but the seven-day rolling average of added cases increased from Sunday.

Oconee County added 18 cases, and Clarke County added 44, and in both counties the seven-day rolling average of added cases increased.

Monday’s are usually light reporting days, and the number of cases added on Monday was larger than the number added on Monday a week ago.

Parent Asks Board Of Education To Address Her Concerns About School Policies Regarding COVID-19

***Speaking To Board And In Email***

Andrea Wellnitz is persistent.

“I’m coming before you today for the fourth time to bring my concerns to you,” Wellnitz said as she began her comments as a registered speaker to the Board of Education at its final meeting of last year.

Wellnitz said she had a number of concerns and had made a number of requests, including that the Board, Superintendent Jason Branch, or other administrators tell her what the “threshold” is for deciding to move from in-person instruction to hybrid instruction or full remote learning in light of the increase in COVID-19 cases.

Sunday, January 03, 2021

Rolling Averages Of Added COVID-19 Cases Increase In Oconee And Clarke Counties And In Northeast Health District

***Oconee Averaging Nearly 50 New Cases Per Day***

The seven-day rolling averages of added COVID-19 cases increased in Oconee and Clarke counties on Sunday and in the Northeast Health District as a whole with the release of the Daily Status Report by the Georgia Department of Public Health.

Oconee County added 39 cases, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases increased to 49.6, the highest average to date. The average had been 46.4 on Saturday.

Clarke County added 97 cases, and the seven-day rolling average increased from 84.1 on Saturday to 93.1 on Sunday. The 93.1 figure is a new high for Clarke County as well.

Saturday, January 02, 2021

Northeast Health District Adds 474 New COVID-19 Cases, Two Deaths From Disease; Area Hospitals See Large Increase In COVID Patients

***Seven-Day Rolling Averages Of Added Cases Increase***

The Northeast Health District added 474 new cases of COVID-19 with the release of the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report on Saturday and two deaths from the disease–in Oconee and Jackson counties.

The Oconee County death was of a male of unspecified age without a known chronic condition.

The death brings to 41 the number from the disease in the county and puts the county’s death rate at 98.2 per 100,000 population, the third highest in the 10-county Northeast Health District, behind only much smaller (in terms of population) Greene and Elbert counties.

Early Voting Strong In Oconee County For Tuesday Runoff, But Not At Level Of November

***Votes Cast At End Of Early Voting More than 1,500 Behind November***

Nearly six in 10 of Oconee County’s active voters already had cast a ballot in the Jan. 5 runoff elections at the end of early voting on Thursday.

In the 12 days of early voting itself, 13,477 voters had gone to the Civic Center to select candidates in the two U.S. Senate runoff races and the state Public Service Commission runoff.

In addition, 4,040 had returned an absentee ballot, for a total of 17,517 votes cast, or 57.4 percent of the county’s 30,542 active voters or 54.8 percent of the county’s 31,985 registered voters.

Friday, January 01, 2021

Seven-Day Rolling Average Of Added COVID-19 Cases In Northeast Health District Increases Again On Friday

***Area Hospitals Report Increases In COVID-19 Cases and ICU Bed Use***

With the addition of 681 new cases of COVID-19 in state reports on Friday, the seven-day rolling average of added cases in the Northeast Health District increased to 467.0 cases per day, the highest ever recorded.

The average had been 412.6 on Thursday, when 625 new cases were added.

Oconee County added 57 cases and Clarke County added 101. The seven-day rolling average of added cases in Oconee County increased from 40.0 on Thursday to 45.1 on Friday, the highest level ever recorded.