ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia’s death toll from COVID-19 is nearing 700 as new numbers were reported Saturday, health officials said.

At least 677 deaths statewide have been linked to the virus. Infections have been confirmed in more than 17,800 people, the Georgia Department of Public Health reported Saturday.

In hart-hit southwest Georgia, four employees of a major poultry producer’s operations have died after becoming infected with the coronavirus, a company spokesman said Friday.

Tyson Foods spokesman Gary Mickelson said three of the employees worked at the company’s chicken processing plant in Camilla, while the fourth person worked in a supporting job outside the plant. He declined to say how many workers there have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new virus.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that usually clear up within weeks. For some, it can cause severe illness and be life-threatening.

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Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.

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