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COVID-19 cases soar in Fulton County By SYDNEY DANGREMOND sydney@appenmedia.com
Fulton County operates three COVID-19 testing sites, including this one at 4700 North Point Parkway in Alpharetta. Each of the testing sites has seen roughly 800-1,500 individuals per day recently as cases continue to rise.
Planning Commission integrates Town Center into city’s future plans
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The new year has seen an exponential boom in COVID-19 cases, positivity rates and hospitalizations throughout Fulton County. At their meeting Jan. 5, county commissioners received the latest data from the Georgia Department of Public Health and laid plans to increase access to testing. “The seven-day averages for cases, hospitalizations and percent positives as of today are all at record highs for Fulton County,” Doug Schuster, Fulton County planning section chief said. “Ninety-two percent of all new cases are from the omicron variant.” Schuster also provided data demonstrating increases recorded since the last BOC meeting Dec. 15. “County hospitalizations have increased 667% since the last BOC meeting and pediatric COVID admissions are up 771% since the last BOC meeting,” Schuster said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has established benchmarks for measuring transmission levels of the COVID-19 virus throughout the country ranging from low to high transmission rates. It considers total new cases per 100,000 residents and percentage of positive tests over the past seven days to calculate the rating. A community is considered a high transmission area if they have 100 or more new cases per 100,000 in the past seven days and a percentage of positive tests equal to or greater than 10% during the same time period.
Fulton County reported 1,432 new cases per 100,000 residents and a positivity rate of 36.6% during the prior seven days as of the Jan. 5 meeting. “So, we are 14 times the recommended amount of cases to be considered for high transmission,” Schuster said, and a positivity rate “which is three and a half times the recommended amount for mandatory masking.” In September, Fulton County Schools implemented a set of procedures and strategies – a mitigation matrix – for school functions as COVID-19 cases rise in the community. Mitigation procedures correlate to transmission rates. The highest transmission rate included in the matrix is 1,250 cases per 100,000, nearly 200 cases fewer than current Fulton County numbers. At the highest benchmark, there is a
“potential switch to remote learning,” and no allowed spectators for athletics, performances or “extras.” On Dec. 31, Fulton County Schools announced a temporary shift to remote learning for the first week of the spring semester, with a plan to return to in-person learning on Jan. 10. December was a record-breaking month for COVID-19 numbers in Fulton County. Prior to last month, the highest monthly total of new cases was January 2021 with 17,330 recorded cases. In December there were 23,410. Fulton County cities saw increases in case numbers in the four weeks from Dec. 2 to Dec. 29 ranging from 714% to 3,200%. Since Dec. 15, Schuster said, the daily average for cases is up 1,687%.
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — At the city’s first public meeting of the year, town center plans were placed front and center. In a unanimous decision, members of the city Planning Commission voted to amend Johns Creek’s Comprehensive Plan to integrate the Town Center Vision and Plan, first approved by the City Council Oct. 25. The action, said to be a “formality” by Community Development Director Ben Song, added the Vision and Plan as a supplemental amendment to the city’s guiding document and eliminated contradictions between the two in areas of land use, pending City Council approval. For years, Johns Creek has sought to formalize a city identity in the form of a town center. The approved Vision and Plan lays out specific priorities of the city and its residents for how such a space would take shape. The plan identifies Technology Park as the location for development of the live-work-play destination, with City Hall and attached Creekside Pond north serving as the
See COVID-19, Page 17
See PLANS, Page 16
Council members prep for city planning retreat
Property condemnations continue for road project
Fulton superintendent receives pay increase
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By SYDNEY DANGREMOND sydney@appenmedia.com