Information on COVID-19 cases to be provided to 911 centers

The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, in

collaboration with the Georgia Department of Public Health, will begin

to provide a list of COVID-19 cases in each jurisdiction to 911 centers

this week.

As hospitals, acute care facilities, and labs report their COVID-19

cases to the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), staff from the

Georgia Emergency Communications Authority (GECA) at GEMA/HS will pull

the daily COVID-19 case list from the DPH reporting system and send each

911 center the newest addresses of COVID-19 positive patients in their

jurisdiction.

To ensure the confidentiality of the patients, only the address will be

shared with 911 centers. If a 911 call is made from that address within

the 21-day period of when a patient was potentially infectious, the

dispatch center will alert the responding personnel - including EMS,

fire, and law enforcement - of the presence of a patient with COVID-19

at that address. This process and the information shared follow guidance

from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil

Rights. Since most cases of COVID-19 in the community are unknown, first

responders will continue to take precautions on all calls, regardless of

whether the address has been flagged.

“We are urging 911 centers to continue to ask COVID-19 screening

questions for all requested responses to ensure that first responders

have as many details as possible before arriving on the scene of a call

for service,” said GECA Executive Director Michael Nix. "The health and

safety of first responders are critical. Screening 911 callers and

notifying responding personnel in a timely manner of any exposure to

COVID-19 allow first responders to keep themselves, their families, and

the general public safe, and help Georgia reduce the spread of COVID-19."

DPH is going to retroactively identify any potential exposures to ensure

the safety of first responders across Georgia.