As of noon Monday, there were 121 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Georgia, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
The cases are mostly in metro Atlanta and in northwest Georgia, according to the state Department of Public Health. One person -- a 67-year-old man -- has already died from the disease.
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The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state increased by 22 in 24 hours.
The state reports there has been one death as a result of COVID-19. Last week, Gov. Brian Kemp confirmed a 67-year-old man who had tested positive for the coronavirus had died at a hospital in Marietta.
In the report, health officials say that 44% of confirmed cases involve people age 60 or older, people who the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said are at a higher risk of getting very sick from the illness. The World Health Organization has estimated a 21.9% mortality rate for those over 80 who are infected with the virus.
Kemp declared a public health emergency for Georgia on Saturday in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The declaration allows resources to be marshaled for the treatment and mitigation of the virus.
The governor’s announcement came following President Donald Trump’s Friday declaration of a national emergency over the coronavirus outbreak. The president announced $50 billion for states, territories, and localities in the shared fight against the disease.
Later on Saturday, state election officials announced that Georgia’s March 24 presidential primaries had been postponed until May because of fears over the new coronavirus.
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On Sunday, Southeast Georgia schools began announcing closures starting this week.
In Atlanta, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms declared a state of emergency within the city limits, banning large public gatherings of more than 250 people until March 31.
An interactive map of Georgia’s identified coronavirus patients shows they are highly concentrated around metro Atlanta.