LaGrange ranked as one of worst coronavirus outbreaks in the nation, report says
LaGrange has been ranked as one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the nation, according to a data recently published by the New York Times.
LaGrange was listed by the Times as No. 2 in the nation for new deaths relative to its population and No. 4 in the nation for new cases relative to its population out of all metro areas in the U.S.
18 people have died from coronavirus in LaGrange over the past two weeks, or 0.26 deaths per 1,000 persons. The list ranks metro areas with greatest number of deaths relative to their population. Only Gallup, New Mexico, has a higher rate of deaths relative to its population. But while the curve in Gallup is flattening, LaGrange’s curve of recent deaths is still growing, the Times reports.
Among those dead this week include a 32-year old male and a 78-year old female, said Hayla Feldon, public information officer for the District 4 DPH.
Some of these deaths may have occurred earlier but are included in more recent counts due to delays in reporting. Folden says that on June 12, deaths in LaGrange rose from 13 to 22 because the deaths that had been previously reported to the Department of Public Health but had not yet been entered into its electronic database until that day.
New cases of coronavirus in LaGrange are also on the rise, putting it at No. 4 on the Times’ list of metro areas with the greatest number of recently announced cases and deaths, relative to their population.
Over the past two weeks, LaGrange has had 682 new cases of coronavirus. When scaled to LaGrange’s population, that number comes out to 9.74 new cases per 1,000 persons, indicating a high prevalence of the coronavirus among the city’s population. The Times reports that the curve of new cases in LaGrange is still growing.
Using contact tracing, the District 4 Department of Public Health has been able to pinpoint events that likely caused the spike in new cases, according to Feldon.
Several unofficial gatherings roughly two weeks ago and a lack of social distancing among residents are believed to be behind the increase, Feldon said.
“We’ve seen a continual increase in cases that were based off of a community spread from those initial gatherings, people started getting together and now it’s spreading from there,” Feldon said.
The District 4 DPH is now trying to contain that spread. Contact tracers have been reaching out to those who may have been in contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus. They are advised to practice social distancing and report any symptoms.
The Department of Public Health strongly encourages wearing a mask in public to help limit possible spread.
Two facilities have had outbreaks in LaGrange in recent weeks, one at LaGrange Nursing and Rehab, a long-term care facility, and the other at the Troup County Jail.
The Troup County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press release Tuesday the results from a mass test of its inmates and staff conducted on June 19. Out of the 316 inmates tested, 71 of them tested positive for the coronavirus — roughly a 22% positive rate. This calculation does not include the 21 inmates who refused to be tested.
Inmates who have tested positive for the coronavirus will be isolated. At the time of testing, Troup County Jail had 394 inmates.
All 48 staffmembers at the Troup County Jail were tested which resulted in two positive cases, according to the Sheriff’s Office. One staff member and three inmates have inconclusive or pending results.
In a previous version of the article, The New York Times included Columbus on a list of places where an outbreak, or “flare-up,” is likely to occur. By Wednesday, the flare-up list was no longer included in the Times article and no explanation was provided for its removal.
In Columbus, deaths double every 14.8 days, according to the Times rankings. There have been 17 deaths from coronavirus in Columbus over the past two weeks, with a daily growth rate of 5%.
Muscogee County reported the largest 24-hour increase in new cases this week since the beginning of the pandemic, with 128 new coronavirus cases reported Tuesday, according to data analyzed by the Ledger-Enquirer.
Read the full list from The New York Times here.
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 11:43 AM.