East Point ranks fifth in Fulton for coronavirus cases
New report shows COVID-19 city by city in Georgia’s most populous county
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East Point has the fifth-highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases among cities in Fulton County and neighbors a city that is a hotspot for the virus.
Some 82 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in East Point, which is 3.3 percent of the 2,500 cases in Fulton, according to an epidemiology report released on Friday by the Fulton County Board of Health (chart below).
The number of coronavirus cases puts East Point fifth among cities in the county, behind Atlanta (1,154 or 46.8 percent), South Fulton (319 or 12.9%), Sandy Springs (193 or 7.8 percent) and Roswell (91 or 3.7 percent). Johns Creek has 82 cases – the same number as East Point.
Overall, the Tri-Cities area has 122 cases – or 4.9 percent of the county’s total. Combine the numbers from South Fulton, which East Point shares a border with, and the cases total 441 – or 17.8 percent. Overall, the southern portion of Fulton has 22.2 percent of cases in the county.
Among all coronavirus cases in Fulton, nearly 82 percent of people reported having symptoms of COVID-19, some 34 percent were hospitalized and about 10 percent were admitted to Intensive Care Units, according to the report. About five percent required assisted ventilation.
The report is the first public indication of the distribution of coronavirus cases across the county. The Georgia Department of Public Health provides a daily status report on the cases, but the numbers are reported by county totals only.
For East Point, the 82 cases show the rising impact of coronavirus in the city. On April 11, City Manager Frederick Gardner told the City Council the city had 27 confirmed cases. He also said five first responders in the city had been infected with COVID-19.
The report breaking out coronavirus cases by city comes as Gov. Brian Kemp pushed to open businesses and restart the state’s economy. On Friday, Kemp allowed a slate of non-essential businesses to open, including gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, body art studios, barbers, cosmetologists, hair designers, nail care artists, estheticians and massage therapists. On Monday, restaurants are allowed to reopen their dining rooms.
Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham and council members blasted Kemp’s order and urged residents to stay home and continue physical distancing. City leaders are concerned that coronavirus is disproportionately impacting black communities. More than 75 percent of East Point’s 35,000 residents are African-American.
The city council took several aggressive steps to combat coronavirus in March, including closing non-essential businesses and ordering a curfew for businesses and residents, that were wiped out when Kemp issued a less restrictive shelter-in-place order on April 2. Kemp’s order on Monday allowing some non-essential businesses to open prohibits cities from taking more restrictive measures.
Read more coverage of how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting East Point.