Kemp holding COVID press conference today for first time in five months. How to watch
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Department of Public Health commissioner Kathleen Toomey will hold a news conference Monday afternoon to address COVID-19 in the state.
According to a release from Kemp’s office, he’s expected to speak on “additional steps to support Georgia hospitals and encourage state employees to get vaccinated.”
The 4 p.m. press conference will be streamed via Georgia Public Broadcasting and on Kemp’s Facebook page.
Throughout 2020 and early 2021, Kemp hosted regular COVID briefings from the capitol building in Atlanta, usually accompanied by Toomey and other state officials. The last briefing was on March 23, when Kemp announced that all Georgians over the age of 16 would be eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine starting March 25. Since then, Kemp has made appearances across the state encouraging residents to get vaccinated.
Hospitalizations due to COVID have spiked in recent weeks as the delta variant spreads across Georgia and the country. Statewide, 88.1% of ICU beds are in use and 42.1% of ventilators, according to the Georgia Geospatial COVID-19 Data Hub.
According to DPH’s COVID dashboard, 982,589 total cases have been reported in Georgia since the start of the pandemic, along with 18,987 deaths, as of Aug. 13. DPH no longer updates the dashboard on weekends.
As of Aug. 13, 48% of Georgia residents have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 41% are fully vaccinated.
