Update: Two deaths, 157 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Fannin County

Community, News
COVID-19 cases

Blue Ridge, Ga. – The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is reporting that there have been 157 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Fannin County. This information comes from the DPH Thursday, July 16 report at 7:oo p.m. DPH is also reporting that 12 of these cases have required hospitalizations.

The latest DPH report is also confirming a second Covid-19 related death for a Fannin County resident.

The total number of 157 confirmed positive cases for the county is a cumulative number and includes cases dating back to March. DPH is not reporting the number of recoveries due to the inefficiency in tracking cases. Instead of recording recoveries, many states are reporting “known outcomes”. These cases are where a patient required hospitalization. In these cases, it is observable to medical to staff whether or not the patient recovered.

Fannin County has seen a spike in the recent number of cases over the last couple of weeks, with cases jumping by sometimes 20 in a single day. This is due to the virus seeing a resurgence in spread and also due to the availability of testing ,with more people getting tested.

At this time, Fetch Your News does not have any additional details about these cases.  We will bring you updates as soon as information is available for the public.

The total cumulative number of cases in Georgia as of the July 16, 7:00 p.m. update is now total number of confirmed cases 135,183 with 14,647 hospitalized (2,781 ICU Admissions), and 3,132 deaths. 1,198,678 tests have been administered in Georgia.

Timeline of First 35 Confirmed Cases in Fannin County:

  • First Case – March 24, 7:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Second Case – March 27, 12:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Third Case – March 27, 7:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Fourth Case – March 31, 12:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Fifth Case – April 1, 12:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Sixth Case – April 1, 7:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Seventh and Eighth Cases – April 2, 7:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Ninth Case – April 6, 12:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth Cases – April 13, 7:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Thirteenth Case – April 14, 12:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Fourteenth Case – April 15, 12:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Fifteenth Case – April 17, 7:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Sixteenth Case – April 19, 12:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Seventeenth, Eighteenth and Nineteenth Cases – April 20, 7:00 p.m. DPH update
  • First Death Reported – April 20, 7:00 p.m. DPH Update
  • ***April 22, 12:00 p.m. DPH update; DPH rescinded the death reported on April 20 bringing Fannin’s count back to zero deaths. Also rescinded was the additional case reported on April 20, bringing Fannin’s total confirmed cases back to 18.
  • Nineteenth and Twentieth cases – April 22, 7:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Twenty-first case – April 24, 7:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Twenty-second and Twenty-third cases – April 26, 7:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Twenty-fourth case – April 27, 7:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth cases – April 28, 6:00 p.m. DPH update
  • First Death Reported – April 28, 6:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth cases – April 29, 7:00 p.m. DPH update
  • Twenty-ninth case – April 30, 6:40 p.m. DPH update
  • Thirtieth case – May 1, 6:25 p.m. DPH update
  • Thirty-first case – May 2, 6:25 p.m. DPH update
  • Thirty-second case – May 5, 6:25 p.m. DPH update
  • Thirty-third case – May 6, 6:25 p.m. DPH update
  • Thirty-fourth case – May 7, 6:25 p.m. DPH update
  • Thirty-fifth case – May 12, 7:00 p.m. DPH update

*Fetch Your News has chosen to report on cases confirmed by the Georgia Department of Health (DPH) only. These reports may not reflect real-time spread as the laboratories processing COVID-19 tests are reportedly backlogged by several days. Fetch Your News is also reaching out to local sources to confirm positive cases before writing articles on the subject. 

 Inconsistency in data being reported:

The Georgia Department of Health originally reported one death in Fannin County due to Covid-19 in their April 20, 7:00 p.m. update. This update listed the victim as a 74 year old male with underlying health conditions. 

DPH also reported a 19 confirmed case of Covid-19 in Fannin County.

In their April 22, 12:00 p.m. update, DPH rescinded both the reported death and additional case. This brings Fannin County total cases to 18 with zero deaths from Covid-19.

This is not the first time that there have been discrepancies in DPH reporting for Fannin County. DPH had reported a 10th case earlier in April, but then later rescinded this case bring the total back down to 9.

First Case in Fannin County Original Story Below:

The Georgia Department of Public Health confirmed on Tuesday, March 24 in their 7:00 p.m. update, that Fannin County has recorded its first confirmed case of Coronavirus (Covid-19).

While there have been several suspected cases in Fannin County, until today all tests had come back negative. 

The first confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Georgia was announced by state officials on March 2. These cases were of a Fulton man in his 50’s that had recently returned from a work trip in Milan, and his 15-year-old son.

Georgia’s total number of positive cases confirmed by DPH as of 7:00 p.m. on March 24, has risen to 1097. 

At this time DPH has noted 38 deaths related to Covid-19 in Georgia.

Neighboring counties are reporting zero cases in Gilmer County and zero cases in Union County.

DPH updates the list of confirmed cases in Georgia at noon and 7 p.m. each day. The numbers are expected to increase as more testing becomes available to the public.

FYN will bring you more details as they become available.

49 Comments

  1. Shawn March 24, 2020 at 7:19 pm

    This is definitely the mayor of blue ridges fault saying oh come on down to blue ridge to escape boredom that’s so stupid hope she sleeps good tonight

    • TR March 27, 2020 at 2:49 pm

      I agree!!!

      • Stiff Wiily Jones April 18, 2020 at 2:41 pm

        Yep so true her and her Entourage are a joke and that city Attorney WTF

    • [email protected] March 31, 2020 at 12:24 pm

      Shawn it’s not her fault! It was coming regardless its every where and people has the right to go where they want to go. Don’t get me wrong I think people should have respect for others and stay home! I’m sure the mayor didn’t mean no harm that’s just her personality to everyone!

      • Carol Chamberlain April 3, 2020 at 8:48 am

        It serves no purpose to play the blame game. People continued to come. And hopefully they weren’t infected when they came up here. Hopefully everyone continues with social distancing. And people with second homes came up also. It’s the price you pay for living in a free society.

      • jw April 3, 2020 at 2:56 pm

        that’s a bunch of bull, she knew what she was doing, she was just about the all mighty dollar,

      • Bill Smith April 5, 2020 at 7:45 am

        she is an idiot quit making excuses for her!

  2. Ron Williams March 24, 2020 at 8:02 pm

    Probably an outsider from Atlanta invited by our mayor

  3. Jonathan March 25, 2020 at 11:30 am

    With all the people moving up here I’m shocked it’s not more and I’m sure it is you can’t throw a stick without hitting a Florida people or someone from some other place up here anymore … Then have mess blue Ridge And fannin co up trying make it something it’s not as a native people born and raised here it make me sick and sad to see people mess up are way of like if your not from blue Ridge you shouldnt be in blue Ridge is my feeling Florida people need to stay home alone with all the others

    • Evan March 25, 2020 at 12:09 pm

      Jonathan unless you are a native Indian – you don’t belong here either …never mind the Floridians. Germs were spread by the white man from back in the 1600’s to this present day. Stop blaming anyone – this insidious disease is another flu that by the way have been increasing in variance every year. There has been many flues from past centuries that account for many deaths, globally.
      What I am trying to say that now is the time to be empathetic and supportive of your human man not an island unto yourself.

      • Ben Smith April 5, 2020 at 7:47 am

        Evan, Give me a break, just shut up

      • Jonathan April 21, 2020 at 2:32 pm

        Evan actually I am a Native American Cherokee. So you just mind your own business my people was in Georgia and North Carolina before any of these people were Jonathan

    • Gabe March 25, 2020 at 6:52 pm

      So small minded. Be happy stupidity isn’t considered an underlying issue.

    • John March 27, 2020 at 2:19 pm

      Were the cases tourists or locals?

  4. Anna morore March 25, 2020 at 11:38 am

    Wow your so right about all this moving up here I’m 67 and from,ellijay GA and it’s just a mess down here to I just want people to stay where there from and stop coming up here it’s like mostly the real estate people trying get people up here knowing full well the people from,here doesn’t want people from Florida Texas Ohio New York down here and we have the coronavrius so we sure don’t need more people moving down here my 2 cent Anna

  5. james March 25, 2020 at 12:35 pm

    shelter in place , wear mask when out and santize your hands people in atlanta need to stay put in atlanta till this pandemic is over !!

    • Ruth Downey April 2, 2020 at 8:52 am

      If it wasn’t for people moving here from elsewhere, this place would be one sorry little, poor town. Appreciate them and stopping complaining. They keep our economy alive.

      • jw April 2, 2020 at 8:13 pm

        We were doing just fine, born here and been here 63 years, liked it better without the 4-lane traffic.

      • jw April 3, 2020 at 7:15 pm

        it was just fine before, we always had a great time, with no 4-lane traffic

    • Jen Smith April 7, 2020 at 5:12 am

      People from Atlanta who have homes in Blue Ridge should be able to shelter in place in Blue Ridge! If I come to my Blue ridge cabin I would not go to any public places, so I would not be adding any additional risk to other people in Blue Ridge!!

      • jg April 9, 2020 at 5:21 pm

        I bet you will be going to grocery store, gas stations, Roses, & Walmart. How do you know you have not been somewhere people with this terrible virus has been and your not bringing it up here

      • jg April 9, 2020 at 5:31 pm

        I bet you go to grocery store, gas station, Roses, & Walmart, when our local people can’t even get what they need. how do you know you have not been around someone with this terrible virus. It needs to be kept in your county not this one.

  6. John March 25, 2020 at 1:20 pm

    I absolutely agree with you! I was born here and have always been here and never ever thought this place would have grown this much. I wish these people would stay home. We like the outside money but come visit us then go home stop trying to make this place how you made where you cam from… Isn’t that why you left your place? Cause you didn’t like how it was there?

  7. Barb March 25, 2020 at 2:43 pm

    Where are people getting an actual test?!

    • mary alice prater March 28, 2020 at 11:29 pm

      Came up here 17years ago to get away from the crap in Orlando area. Disney and tourists ruined a lovely peaceful place to live.. this is what is going to happen here and believe me it’s not worth it. You’ll never have the secure feeling of home again. The safe feeling will be gone for your children, this I know. It’s a shame it’s destroying such beauty.

  8. kathy March 26, 2020 at 7:47 am

    Some people would not be coming to blue ridge, if mayor Donna Whitener had not went public inviting them here !!

  9. Citizen of blue ridge March 26, 2020 at 3:37 pm

    Donna whitener, your an Idiot… thanks.

  10. Teresa March 26, 2020 at 10:24 pm

    Jonathan….I understand your feelings. I too lived in a small community, even smaller than Blue Ridge. I came from Taylorstown VA in Loudoun County.

    Know that not all of us who have moved here want to change it. The reason we moved here, two years ago, was because it reminded me of the community I grew up in before people started moving in and wanting to make changes. I lived in Taylorstown for 57 years. I am 4th generation from there.

    Please don’t think that all of us want to change it.

  11. Gizzmo March 27, 2020 at 2:13 pm

    We have rules but if their not enforced waste of time.

    • MT March 27, 2020 at 2:55 pm

      No more rentals of cabins that will help. but blue ridge did not act quick enough , all the small town business owners too worried about that tourist dollar,,sad but truth,

      • richard March 28, 2020 at 8:16 pm

        donna whitener is brain dead should resign NOW !

        • jgw April 2, 2020 at 2:35 pm

          still a lot of out of town tags and campers here, 1 that has been at Walmart parking lot the last several days there at 5 am with a lady in it and still there at 2 with nobody in it has New York plates, but she’s out wondering around the store at 7 when it opens.

        • Dan April 21, 2020 at 2:08 pm

          The mayor in the Chamber of Commerce only cares about the terrorist money not the well-being of the people and the governor showed his true colors as well add an economy over the well-being of the citizens it is not time nor place to worry about making money more people are going to get sick and die because of greed have you seen the big monstrosity they have built in downtown Blue Ridge real estate people have absolutely ruined our small culture and a way of life in Fannin County and surrounding counties the native people of Fannin County Blue Ridge in the surrounding area should stand up and put a stop to all this putting people in charge of a county that has not another enough sense to run their own business and no common sense at all worrying about the money instead of the people

          • Mark johnson April 21, 2020 at 2:22 pm

            Yes it’s like in Jacksonville North anytime I come to blue Ridge Murphy ellijay there more damn Florida tags new York tags Texas tags Ohio tags and some place more then Georgia tags it’s ridiculous and tell you the truth I’m sick of it the real estate people and Chamber of Commerce has mess fannin co up so why do you think taxes are so high and just keep going up and up because this dumb people from Florida and other places move in up here pay a crazy price for the land which make everything go up then the tax commissioner says oh you’re so lucky your property is worth so much more now well I’m not lucky because I’m a native born and raised here I work a 40 hour week job at a grocery store and I don’t plan on selling my place so if my property goes up and worth more money I want my kids to have a life in a small town as I do for them to know their next door neighbor to be able to go to school and if there children want to live in there same small then would have that opportunity so anyway I don’t care for. Growth if I wanted to live in a place like Canton Woodstock I would move there I’m a native Fannin County person and I don’t care for the direction that is going…

    • paying attention April 1, 2020 at 3:43 pm

      yep,I think cabin companies are still renting cabins is this true? from the RUMOR MILL in BLUE RIDGE.? might not be true?.and just small town hear say,..but.its who you know in this town, that gets special treatment, the rules need to be In forced ..I do not care who you are related to or who you know? you do not come in and rent or stay ,,our children and elders need to be protected. This is just an opinion ,,if anyone is caught profiting not following guide lines, they need to be fined, at the highest fine,

  12. Jrags March 30, 2020 at 5:24 pm

    Please remember, God is good ! Remember to pray !! And that it works !! We all need his help ! People need to call on the lord ! This is his time ! And it very near !! God bless everyone!!

  13. robert myers March 31, 2020 at 4:08 pm

    I never meet a thief that wasn’t a liar. What the outsiders have done to our city is a shame , all they want is money. Someone should investigate the RICO law apply’s here.

    • Tammy April 3, 2020 at 2:24 pm

      Trust and have faith in God pray everyday put god bk into this world u will see a difference we need God God Ioves all God bless all

  14. jgw April 1, 2020 at 2:17 pm

    just left Walmart parking lot, 3 trucks with campers, ala. tag, Kentucky tag and 1 no tag. why are they still here.

    • pay attention April 6, 2020 at 2:00 pm

      call the authorities that is their job. can not even get pick up at Walmart and I live here ,, Ingels same all out of state tags ..or from Atlanta…if their are campers sitting or cabins rented out with of state tags complain!!!! we have to stop this… people bringing it in too our county,

  15. Kat April 8, 2020 at 4:12 pm

    Now I remember why i got the heck out of Fannin County as soon as I graduated. The virus came from China not Atlanta, New York or California. It spreads without detection. It could have come up there with the Contractor who redid a Kitchen for someone in Chattanooga and then got groceries that evening from Ingles. Or it could have come from someone who went to their Aunts funeral in NC and came back and went to Church on Sunday. Or it could have came up with the trucker from the Warehouse on Fulton Industrial that brought the Groceries to Wal-Mart. I will make it a point to make sure I never set foot in Fannin County again and won’t spend another dime there.

    • jg April 10, 2020 at 8:11 pm

      sounds like we didn’t need you anyway, just remember what you said when your on life support, hopefully you or any of your family will not get this terrible virus. just shelter in place, its not forever just a little while, we have a lot of older people that that been here their whole life, like me I graduated from West Fannin and been here my whole life, We survived the blizzard, the flood we will bounce back just respect your elder population. We just had a 100 year old pass away, please just know this is killing people

    • Barb April 14, 2020 at 12:46 pm

      Your observations are so accurate. As the owner of a second home, I have every right to utilize my home of which I pay property taxes. I pay more taxes since I can’t take advantage of the homestead exemption discount. I use the property much less than a “local” and use the county provided services much less even though I pay for them at a greater extent. I am staying in my home, not purchasing supplies from local vendors. Unlike many of the posters on this site, I am not cruising the parking lots of local stores counting non-Fannin County tags. With virus tracing, has any case in Fannin County been linked to us dreaded people from Atlanta? There are unlimited ways the virus could have been introduced to Fannin County and the introduction is not limited to people from Atlanta! The locals are more than willing to take my tax dollars and any support that I provide to local businesses. National businesses such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot base placement of stores on a minimum amount of anticipated revenue. If second home owners were not in Fannin County and contributing to the tax base, the “locals” would not have the luxury of these businesses in town. Locals, have a more diverse and less naïve view of our world.

    • Barb H. April 14, 2020 at 7:49 pm

      I completely agree with you, Kat. As a second home owner who pays property taxes at an inflated rate because I can’t take advantage of the homestead exemption discount and uses a very limited amount of county services, I should not be penalized and chastised for utilizing my home. The locals are happy to have the tax revenue from my property taxes. They are happy to have my property taxes to support the local schools of which I don’t have children attending. Have all local cases been investigated and tracked to Atlanta residents? Have all Fannin County residents (locals) not left the county and been in contact with someone from a surrounding county? There are numerous infected contacts that “locals” could have encountered that aren’t from Atlanta or, God forbid, Florida! When I purchased gas in Blue Ridge one time in the last 6 weeks, I sprayed the pump handle with 90% alcohol and used a disposable wipe to hold the handle and press the buttons on the pump. There were vehicles with Fannin County tags that took no precautions whatsoever when pumping gas. Other than the stop to top off my gas tank, I have not been in the community. I brought my own supplies or have ordered online for needed items. Finally, the locals seem to be cruising WalMart and Home Depot on a regular basis to count the out of town license plates rather than staying home. They should also consider that national businesses such as WalMart and Home Depot base their decision to open a retail outlet in a location with the expectation of a minimum revenue stream. Without the dreaded people who own second homes in the area, the revenue expectation would probably not be met and the locals could not have these services available locally. The local residents should be more considerate and have a larger world view.

  16. Debi Griffin April 14, 2020 at 8:28 am

    No one is using social distancing or masks in public. People are out shopping lawn care supplies, corn hole games, grills, all the things to stay busy yet nonessential items. We get it. Yesterday I counted 6 Florida plates , one Alabama, in the parking lot. Here to vacay in their 2nd homes or visiting family! THIS IS CARELESS and RECKLESS with no regard to our local community whatsoever. STAY HOME people. You cannot stop this virus by being selfish and putting lives on the line with your ignorance. STAY HOME !

    • jg April 14, 2020 at 12:43 pm

      THANK YOU Debi

      • jg April 14, 2020 at 4:36 pm

        Fannin Chamber just posted that Fannin county community had contracted Covid-19 at area ” big box stores” what does that mean, what stores? .

  17. Theresa April 15, 2020 at 12:21 pm

    For all of you whom say Floridians should stay in Florida….I am a Florida Cracker as they say for 55years, I chose to move here last April due to Florida getting so crowed from northerners and it was expensive to live. I have a husband with Brain Cancer and needed to not be continuously going in debt and to be able to slow down and enjoy what life we have left together, I feel that the population is just outgrowing OUR land and people should STOP making us Floridians feel like we are not welcome here. I kinda feel like moving now, never felt so unwelcome in such a Beautiful place that God had created for his people.

  18. TR April 23, 2020 at 10:12 am

    okay opening,, Fannin needs to stay shut down in my opinion , no massage parlors salons needed ,,,not essential….. Fannin stand up for the health of its citizens , not self serving people in this town that only care about their back pockets. its only a few more weeks, if you open these non essential places, and take three steps back,.. it will be sad when virus will shut everything down again… and no telling how long,, next time!!! please for your brothers sisters in Fannin , keep non essentials closed ..Thank you

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