VALDOSTA — The COVID-19 coronavirus has not been found in Valdosta, public health officials said this week. 

To date, only two cases of the virus have been identified in Georgia. Both of those patients are in metro Atlanta, live in the same household and one of them had recently traveled abroad. They are isolated in their home. 

Still, spurious claims surfaced on Twitter and other social media platforms that the virus had been found in Valdosta. A sampling of Twitter posts read:

• “CNN: Valdosta State University officials have confirmed a case of coronavirus within the VSU community. Check to follow updates:” The link attached to the original post leads to a pornographic image.

• “I’ve read there’s two cases of the coronavirus in Valdosta, but nobody’s saying anything.”

•  “SGMC released a statement saying that they have no patients with the Coronavirus but I have a inside source who works there that says they do so yea…”

• “2 confirmed cases in Valdosta hospital but the hospital is keeping quiet so they don’t stir up anything.”

And from Facebook:

• “the virus is in Valdosta Jacksonville & Tampa?????”

• “Soooo…the Corona virus is in Valdosta? Time to get my hazmat suit and gas mask out of storage.”

Claims that there are coronavirus cases at South Georgia Medical Center are false, said Erika Bennett, SGMC’s director of marketing.

“Anytime rumors are going around, it’s not ideal,” she said. “Inaccurate information causes panic.”

The term “coronavirus” is actually the umbrella name for a number of related viruses; the strain that has caused the outbreak, COVID-19, has not been found at the hospital, Bennett said.

The South Health District, which serves 10 South Georgia counties, has no confirmed COVID-19 cases in Lowndes County, said Kristin Patten, public information officer for the district.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.