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Ninth coronavirus case confirmed in Forsyth County, statewide total tops 1,200
Coronavirus
The 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is depicted in an illustration provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in January 2020. - photo by Associated Press

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The ninth confirmed case of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, from Forsyth County was reported on Wednesday as the number of infections in Georgia topped 1,200.

While the Georgia Department of Public Health reported a total of 1,097 total cases in Georgia at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, that number grew to 1,247 by noon on Wednesday. The department is updating totals at noon and 7 p.m. daily, and the number of deaths has now reached 40, with 394 more hospitalized.

Nearly three quarters of counties in Georgia now have a confirmed case of COVID-19, led by Fulton with 198 known cases. A total of 153 cases are still listed in unknown counties by the GDPH.

Forsyth County's first death related to COVID-19 was reported Tuesday by the GDPH. The individual was an 88-year-old male, according to the department. It's unknown whether the individual had any underlying medical conditions, according to department records. The DPH could provide no further information.

Little information has been available about the county's positive COVID-19 cases, except that one is confirmed to be an employee at a Publix in Cumming and another is an employee at a manufacturing plant in the county.

Publix officials confirmed Monday night that an employee at its Cruse Marketplace store, at 1735 Buford Highway in Cumming, tested positive. The company said the store has completed a disinfection-level deep cleaning, using guidelines from the CDC and the Georgia Department of Public Health.

“At Publix, the health and well-being of our associates, our customers and our communities remains our top priority,” said Maria Brous, Publix Director of Communications in a statement. “Following our disinfection protocol and with the support of the public health department, the store is operating normal business hours. We are thinking of our associate and their family during this time and wishing them a swift recovery.”

Publix also said they were told by the Georgia Department of Public Health that store customers are considered to be at low risk of exposure and the products sold at the store do not represent a risk to customers.

Panduit Corporation confirmed one of the company's employees at its manufacturing plant, located at 1819 Atlanta Highway in Cumming, also tested positive.

This story will be updated.