ATLANTA – As the number of coronavirus cases in Georgia continues to rise quickly and steadily, President Donald Trump declared a federal disaster in the state on Sunday, clearing the way for federal aid.
Medically trained troops from the Georgia National Guard have been brought in to help the hospital, whose intensive care unit is full as emergency patients continue to stream in.
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Georgia reported nearly 2,700 cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday evening, with a quarter of them requiring patients to go to the hospital and 83 deaths, according to the state Department of Public Health.
Fulton County continues to lead the state with more than 420 cases. But hard-hit Dougherty County in southwestern Georgia still leads in deaths, with 17, and has reported nearly 250 cases despite a population 11 times smaller than Fulton County.
Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, which is treating the majority of cases in the area, said it began requiring everyone who enters to wear a mask starting Monday.
Scott Steiner, CEO of Phoebe Putney Health System, which owns the hospital and other facilities in the area, said the company was able to implement the policy at all of its properties because it now have sufficient masks available.