University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BREAKING: Georgia reports 35 more coronavirus deaths as cases reach 8,818
By Chelsea Prince 4/7/2020
For the second day in a row, the number of deaths from the coronavirus in Georgia has risen sharply. Thirty-five more Georgians have died since Monday night, according to the latest data from the Georgia Department of Public Health. Those deaths follow the 75 reported Monday to contribute to a statewide total of 329 deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel virus. As of Tuesday, there are 8,818 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state, an increase of more than 1,000, or about 17%, from the figures health officials reported the night before. Of those who have tested positive, 1,774 are hospitalized Tuesday, officials said. Additional growth in number of cases, deaths and hospitalizations is expected when the Department of Public Health releases its next update at 7 p.m.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BREAKING: 65 more coronavirus deaths bring Georgia’s toll near 300; cases surpass 7.5K
Updated 30 minutes ago 4/6/2020
By Asia Simone Burns and Zachary Hansen
UPDATE [7 p.m.]: Georgia recorded 65 more coronavirus deaths since noon, bringing the state’s toll to 294, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. The state also added 244 new cases of COVID-19, which brings the number of cases to 7,558. Of those, 1,393 patients are hospitalized, which is about 18.4% of all cases. Dougherty County has suffered the most deaths with 44, followed by Fulton with 32 and Cobb with 26. Dougherty recorded the most new deaths since noon with 13, followed by Mitchell with nine and Terrell with 5.More than 31,000 tests have been conducted across the state, and about 24.2% have returned positive results.
The Brunswick News
Georgia to receive additional funding to fight COVID-19
Georgia will receive an additional $9.2 million in funding to fight COVID-19. The funding is on top of the $15 million awarded the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to fight the outbreak. Both appropriations were authorized as part of the $8.3 billion “Phase One” funding package. Georgia will be receiving more federal funding in coming weeks from the subsequent “Phase Two” and “Phase Three” funding packages.
Gwinnett Daily Post
By Taylor Denman
The University System of Georgia announced its institutions will continue distance learning through the summer but is tentatively planning to re-open in-class instruction for the fall. University System of Georgia institutions are tentatively planning to welcome students back to campus for the fall semester, pending guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and the Georgia Department of Public Health, but campuses will remain closed for face-to-face instruction during the summer. Georgia Gwinnett College announced in a message to its campus last week it would join some USG member institutions in continuing digital learning and telework through the May and summer semesters. GGC President Jann Jospeh addressed the GGC community in an email on Thursday, citing instructions from USG.
EurekAlert
MCG’s GEM Lab offering coronavirus testing statewide
The Georgia Esoteric and Molecular Laboratory at the Medical College of Georgia Department of Pathology is now offering a new coronavirus test with expanded capacity to the entire state. “We have found the support of our state and our colleagues equal to the demand for this test,” says Dr. Ravindra Kolhe, GEM Lab director and vice chair for translational research of the MCG Department of Pathology at Augusta University.
Savannah Business Journal
Georgia Southern alumni provide much-needed masks for healthcare workers
Savannah Business Journal Staff Report
Like so many others, Anna Ferguson, a 2009 Georgia Southern University fashion merchandising and apparel design graduate, felt helpless in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that caused citizens around the globe to go into isolation. Yet, a call-to-action by a grassroots distribution network, Sewing Masks for Area Hospitals – Atlanta (COVID-19), on Facebook led Ferguson, who designs all-in-one crossbody, phone case wallets for her company TREK Tech Accessories from her home in Newnan, Georgia, to repurpose her skill set for the greater good. “I am self-employed so I have the ability and flexibility to do this with my time,” Ferguson said. “I think it’s really important to be part of the solution and not the problem.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: In maintaining letter grades, Georgia shifts burden of pandemic onto college students
By Maureen Downey
Advocate says University System of Georgia assumes each student has the same opportunity to learn under the same conditions
I continue to hear from students and parents unhappy with the University System of Georgia’s decision to ignore the national move to pass/fail grading in the wake of campus shutdowns and shift to online learning. I checked back with the USG yesterday and was told that, while it is hearing from unhappy students, it is also getting some support from students who need these spring semester grades. But many colleges are offering students the choice: Pass/Fail or standard letter grading. USG could go that route and accommodate all its students. Tina Fernandez is the CEO of Achieve Atlanta, which works to ensure that more Atlanta students go to college and earn a degree. In this essay, she criticizes the USG decision to ignore the extraordinary circumstances that many college students forced out of dorms and classrooms are now facing in this massive migration to distance learning. Because, Fernandez says, home is not necessarily a place where students can keep up with demanding college classes or obtain the help they may require, especially low-income and first generation college students returning to highly stressed households. In this piece, she references a column that I wrote where I, too, said USG earned a failing grade in its response to the plight of displaced students. You can read my column here.
41NBC
FVSU, MERCER TO WAIVE ACT/SAT REQUIREMENTS DUE TO COVID-19
Middle Georgia campuses are adjusting admissions policies amid the coronavirus outbreak
By Shelby Coates
Middle Georgia campuses are adjusting admissions policies amid the coronavirus outbreak and the cancellation of ACT/SAT testing dates. Fort Valley State University has decided ACT and SAT scores are no longer required for 2020 summer and fall applicants. The policy was recently authorized by the University System of Georgia (USG) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students who do not submit test scores must meet the first-year index and required high school curriculum. The change is only applicable for the Spring 2020 and Fall 2020 terms.
Union Recorder
Georgia College president talks about future of institution
Billy Hobbs
Georgia College continues to strive for excellence at every corner and the institution of higher learning in Milledgeville is also gaining national prominence. “This year I was so happy when our U.S. News and World Report put us to a better position than we’ve been in many years, as far as our ranking,” said Dr. Steve Dorman, president of Georgia College, during a recent presentation to Milledgeville City Council. “We went from 28th to 20th on their list of best regional universities. Our online graduate programs have been ranked some of the best in Georgia.” Dorman said those programs include nursing, criminal justice, business and education. “We’re very proud of that,” Dorman said. “We’re just about to launch a national undergraduate research journal. We just participated in an undergraduate research poster session at the capitol.” Of the 50 submissions, six were from Georgia College students.
Tifton Gazette
ABAC receives over $9k for Georgia Young Adult Program
Thanks to a $9,130 grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS), Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will participate in the Georgia Young Adult Program (GYAP), according to a press release The GOHS Young Adult Program addresses young adult driver crashes, injuries and fatalities and partners with colleges and universities throughout the state to implement the GYAP. This program has proven to be successful using strategies such as peer education, providing educational speakers to schools, and encouraging schools to develop creative, innovative techniques to reduce young adult crashes, injuries and fatalities in their communities.
WSAV
Georgia Southern’s Business students suit up for competition!
By: Patty Turner
When you hear “pitch competition”, what do you think of? Probably, a bunch of choral groups singing their hearts out, thanks to those popular Pitch Perfect movies. But, at Georgia Southern University, there’s a whole different meaning to that. It’s a competition that really makes their Parker College of Business, one of the best in the country. Check out what our Bridge cameras were able to capture on a recent visit to the Statesboro Campus.
Northwest Georgia News
Two FCS students selected as finalists for Governor’s Honors Program
By Kenya Hunter
Two Model High School juniors, Alexia Fowler and Hayden Robinson, were selected to participate in the Governor’s Honors program. Both will concentrate in communication arts. …Earlier this year, Hayden’s essay, “Gentrification in Atlanta,” was selected for publication in a collegiate journal at the University of West Georgia. Usually the publication, LURe, is limited to college-level undergraduate research, but they determined that Hayden’s essay met their standards. …The Governor’s Honors program is a residential summer program for gifted students who will be rising juniors and seniors at the time they attend the camp.
South Georgia Film Festival
SGFF Celebrates #FilmFestivalDay, supports Second Harvest
In collaboration with thirty other film festivals across the country, the South Georgia Film Festival is celebrating #FilmFestivalDay on April 11 with a digital screening event and fundraiser for Second Harvest. As a member of the Film Festival Alliance, the South Georgia Film Festival is participating in the streaming of the new film Phoenix, Oregon, April 11, along with a question and answer session with the filmmakers. The online event costs $6.50, with the proceeds being split between the filmmakers and whichever festival viewers chose to support. …The South Georgia Film Festival will be donating all of the proceeds received to Second Harvest to support those locally hardest hit by the COVID-19 closure. …Along with feature films, the festival is looking for shorts, documentaries, college, and high school films. …For more information, please contact the festival at southgeorgiafilm@valdosta.edu
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NCAA certifies Georgia Tech has served postseason ban
By Ken Sugiura
Georgia Tech can stand fully at ease in its decision to accept its postseason ban for NCAA recruiting violations. The institute was informed late last week by the NCAA’s infractions committee that it had met the conditions of the competition penalty (i.e., the postseason ban), a school spokesman confirmed to the AJC.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
75 more deaths in a day: Georgia enters devastating phase of outbreak
By Alan Judd and Greg Bluestein
Georgia is entering a potentially devastating phase of the coronavirus outbreak, as scientific models predict a sharp surge in illnesses and deaths in the next two weeks. On Monday alone, officials confirmed 75 new deaths from the virus. A week earlier, fatalities in Georgia totaled just 100.Projections for 1,500 additional deaths in Georgia by April 21 reflect a somber prognosis by the U.S. surgeon general. On Sunday, Dr. Jerome Adams likened the coming days to Pearl Harbor and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, two pivotal events in American history. State officials, however, continued to send conflicting messages amid unsettling news about the virus’ spread.
The Augusta Chronicle
10,000 dead of coronavirus in USA, more fatalities than six wars combined
By Joel Shannon / USA TODAY
The USA reached a grim milestone in its fight against the coronavirus Monday: More than 10,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the nation. There were 10,335 deaths as of Monday afternoon, according to the Johns Hopkins dashboard, which tracks the numbers. That total surpasses the number of battle deaths from six U.S. wars combined, according to data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA data says a total of 9,961 soldiers died on the battlefield during these six wars: The American Revolution, War of 1812, Mexican War, Indian Wars, Spanish-American Warand Desert Shield/Desert Storm. The data does not include other deaths related to the wars. U.S. officials have repeatedly likened the coronavirus outbreak to a military struggle, and members of the armed forces have joined in various efforts to help stop the virus’ spread.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Piedmont Hospital opening new tower early for coronavirus
By Carrie Teegardin
Piedmont Atlanta Hospital’s new Marcus Tower will open four months early — on April 13 — to help treat the surge of coronavirus patients expected this month, the hospital announced Tuesday. The early opening will add three ICU and acute nursing units to Atlanta’s capacity. This will add a total of 132 additional beds, with 64 designated as critically-needed ICU beds. The hospital beds could be used for coronavirus patients and also patients who need health care for other illnesses, Piedmont said. The new beds will be spread over the tower’s sixth, seventh and eighth floors.
The Augusta Chronicle
By Bart Jansen / USA TODAY
Imagine generating a vaccine for the novel coronavirus from your immune system. The virus that causes COVID-19 has swept the globe with about 1.3 million infections and 70,000 deaths through Sunday evening. Development of a widely available vaccine can take a year or more while a virus continues its rampage. Key to the race to develop a vaccine for the new coronavirus is a technology that uses the virus’ genetic code to essentially persuade your body to make its own vaccine. This technique is faster than egg-based manufacturing, which produces the majority of annual flu vaccines and led to delays in distributing a vaccine for H1N1 during the 2009 pandemic. And it’s enabling a possible vaccine for the new coronavirus to be developed in record time.
The Augusta Chronicle
COVID-19 testing at MCG expands rapidly thanks to donations, new equipment
By Tom Corwin
Testing for COVID-19 at the GEM Lab at MCG is ramping up quickly thanks to new and borrowed equipment and donations from researchers at Augusta University and Georgia Tech. Inside a room at the Georgia Esoteric and Molecular Laboratory at Medical College of Georgia, Director Ravindra Kolhe looks down proudly on what he calls his “PCR farm.” The three PCR analyzer that can look for genetic material from the virus that causes COVID-19 are borrowed from other researchers at MCG at Augusta University and Georgia Tech. Along with brand-new and expensive machines courtesy of Gov. Brian Kemp’ Coronavirus Taskforce and the state of Georgia, the lab’s capacity to run tests jumped exponentially, Kolhe said. “The amount of tests we have done in one week we are now doing in a day,” he said.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rapid virus tests come to Atlanta as testing slowly ramps up
By J. Scott Trubey
Georgia still trails in widespread testing. Tests not yet available to general public.
CVS Health on Monday opened a drive-through coronavirus testing center in Atlanta that the company said can provide results within minutes. A Sandy Springs laboratory that’s developed its own testing protocol, meanwhile, said it will have capacity to process thousands of samples per day for customers such as major health systems and rural hospitals. The announcements come as cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, climb and as Georgia continues to rank near the bottom nationally in testing on a per capita basis, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis shows. …Tests remain rationed in Georgia for the very sick and those most at risk of infection, such as residents of long-term care facilities and nursing homes and those on the front lines of the emergency, such medical workers and first responders. And it is unclear when tests might be made available to a broader segment of the public.
Savannah Morning News
By Nick Robertson
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said in a press conference on Tuesday, April 7, that the city of Savannah would comply with Gov. Brian Kemp’s shelter-in-place order that was issued last Friday, April 3. The directive caught criticism from Tybee Island Mayor Shirley Sessions, who called it “reckless” in a statement issued on Saturday, while Johnson commented on the order in a segment on the Sunday edition of NBC Nightly News, saying “here we are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic and yet where we’re closing schools, we’re opening beaches. In my mind, that does not compute.” The governor’s shelter-in-place order opened beaches for exercise purposes, and re-opened businesses that were closed in the Savannah mayor’s previous order such as auto dealerships and malls. “We in Savannah prefer some more restrictions,” Johnson said in reference to the Georgia governor’s order. He added that he has not heard from Gov. Kemp since the order was issued.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Feds approve Georgia waiver. That means no state testing or 2020 CCRPI scores
By Maureen Downey
GaDOE says pass/fail can be used in K-8, but not in high school grading
From the state Department of Education just now:
Georgia has received formal approval from the federal government to waive testing and accountability requirements for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year, State School Superintendent Richard Woods announced today. No state testing – including Georgia Milestones EOGs and EOCs, GAA 2.0, and GKIDS – will be administered in Georgia for the rest of the school year. Additionally, there will not be a 2020 CCRPI. “It became clear as the COVID-19 pandemic progressed that there was no realistic path to offering state assessments this year – and, frankly, that testing is not what students, parents, and educators should be focused on at this time,” Superintendent Woods said. “I appreciate the U.S. Department of Education hearing the concerns of states, school districts, parents, and students and providing this flexibility. Georgia’s public-school community will continue to focus on keeping students safe and providing opportunities for learning and growth as we weather this storm together.”
Statesboro Herald
Church cited under state order
Five members charged after GSP warning
HOLLI DEAL SAXON/staff
With eight confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Bulloch County, local law enforcement agencies have begun enforcing Gov. Brian Kemp’s order to observe social distancing. On Sunday, Georgia State Patrol Post 45 troopers issued five citations to people gathered at a local church. According to GSP Post 45 secretary Ginger Robbins, the five people were charged with reckless conduct, a misdemeanor that could lead to a fine of $1,000 and/or 90 days in jail. The people cited were ignoring the social distancing mandates to only gather in groups of 10 or fewer and to stay 6 feet apart.
Reuters
Florida, Nevada may be hit hardest by coronavirus economic shock: study
Howard Schneider
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Florida beaches remained packed with partying college students as the coronavirus crisis gathered force, and the Republican governor was slow to impose social distancing in a tourist-dependent economy. That may come back to haunt the U.S. state – and not just in the form of a sky-rocketing case load. According to a newly released study by Oxford Economics, Florida is among the states most vulnerable to the economic shock being caused by the pandemic. (reut.rs/34cmzs3) Oxford ranked the 50 U.S states and Washington D.C. using 10 measures its economists felt could make a local economy more vulnerable, including the share of the population over 65, dependence on retail sales, and the importance of the tourist industry. Maine, with its proportionately older population and comparatively large number of people who are self-employed or work in small businesses, is considered the most vulnerable state economy, according to Oxford. Nevada, with its massive casino-based tourism industry, was second, while rural Vermont was third. Florida is the only heavily populated state near the top of the list, with a comparatively large share of its 21 million residents over the age of 65, and an economy that is relatively dependent on retail sales and tourism.