MACON, Ga. — Houston still leads the way in Central Georgia -- with more than 130 confirmed cases of COVID-19, it's got more than any other county here.
"As the disease continues to spread in the community, we will see those numbers continue to increase."
But it's also the largest county in Central Georgia by population.
Michael Hokanson with the North Central Health District says a per capita case rate adjusts for population differences.
"It's an important new tool because it presents a more clear picture and [enables you to] compare county to county," he said.
It was possible to make the calculation on your own before they started posting it (all you'd need is the raw case number for a given county and its population). However, by centrally reporting it on its COVID-19 tracker, DPH has streamlined the comparison process.
According to the DPH, Houston County has a case rate of about 84 per 100,000 people. Bibb sits at about 50.
Even though they have fewer total cases, some smaller counties have a much higher rate.
Macon County at about 330 cases per 100,000 people and Dooly County, has nearly 370 cases per capita.
Dooly Sheriff Craig Peavy says unlike some other small communities, his county still has thousands of people passing through it.
"What's different about us is we still have a major pipeline which is I-75 that runs right through us," he said.
Though he says most people there are doing a good job following state and federal guidelines, and the county has only about 50 confirmed cases and 2 deaths, the virus has drastically changed daily life in Dooly County.
Busy streets are largely empty and familiar faces are sheltered in place.
"This thing's spread worse than anything I've ever seen in my lifetime," said Peavy. "I just hope and pray that there's an end to this right around the corner."
He says 5 employees at the Sheriff's Office have tested positive for the virus and are quarantining. They're all starting to feel better according to the sheriff.
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