DALTON, Ga. — U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said that the new coronavirus (COVID-19) has hit American hard, “especially our older folks.”

“But I want you to understand that we are in the different place than we were even a few weeks ago and certainly a few months ago,” Adams said Thursday outside Hamilton Medical Center. “The average age of folks getting COVID-19 just a few months ago was near 60. The average age now is 35. It is important for that group to understand that you are at risk for hospitalization. But you also are at risk for spreading it to someone you love and care about. But I don’t want this to be all about the bad. We are in a much better place than were we were. We have more supplies. We know more about the virus and how to keep people safe.”

Adams joined Gov. Brian Kemp for part of a two-day, seven-city tour of Georgia to promote the use of face masks to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

“The power to slow this virus lies in the hands of the people of Georgia. Literally,” Adams said. “I want you to understand my surgeon general’s prescription for staying safe as we head into this holiday weekend. No. 1, know your risks. It’s important to know that people with high blood pressure, with diabetes, with obesity are at higher risk for this disease. No. 2, know your circumstances. Are you going to be going to a place that’s outside or inside? Are you going to be going to a place where it’s hard to social distance? No. 3, know how to keep yourself safe. … Washing your hands frequently and thoroughly. Hand sanitizer is great if you are not able to wash your hands. … Maintain a safe distance from others where possible, and it if isn’t possible, please, wear a mask.”

Adams said wearing a mask is a small sacrifice and can help lower the disease’s transmission rate.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that most adults wear masks or cloth coverings over their mouth and nose in public if they cannot maintain a distance of 6 feet or more from others, saying that they reduce the spread of respiratory droplets exhaled by those wearing the masks.

The CDC says people with breathing issues should not wear masks and people who are performing high-intensity activities or who are in settings where masks could increase the chances of heat-related illness should be wary of wearing masks.

On Monday, Kemp extended a coronavirus-related public health emergency order until Aug. 11. The order requires social distancing and requires those with serious health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes that put them at elevated risk for the disease to shelter in place.

In Georgia, as in the rest of the nation, the death number of deaths from the coronavirus has been falling since the first week of May. But the number of cases has been rising since early June, setting new records almost daily in both the state and the nation.

Kemp noted that the increase in cases follows national protests following the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody on May 25. Kemp said public health experts aren’t certain what role the protests have played in the increasing number of cases.

There have been 84,237 confirmed coronavirus cases in the state. Georgia’s confirmed cases per 100,000 population is 800.8, slightly below the national rate of 817.4 but above that of every state that borders it.

Whitfield County has had 1,181 confirmed cases, and Murray County has had 229 confirmed cases.

Kemp thanked members of the Legislature for giving him the authority to issue that public health emergency order.

“We are making progress in the fight against COVID-19,” Kemp said. “Our hospitals are prepared, and our surge capacity continues to remain solid.”

But he said the virus continues to spread.

“We are not out of the woods yet,” he said. “We must remain vigilant to protect the lives and the livelihoods of all Georgians. We cannot get complacent.”

“As we travel this state, I want to continue to encourage you to do the things that are working. They have worked in the past. They work today, and they will work in the future. Social distancing, washing your hands, and if you are going out in public, wear a mask or face covering,” Kemp said.

Kemp said that by following those practices can protect themselves and their community.

On Wednesday, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson signed an executive order requiring people to wear masks in public. Asked if he supported requiring people to wear masks in public, Kemp said he preferred to encourage individual responsibility.

Adams noted that the majority of new cases are among young people.

“How many people here have a high school or college kid” he asked. “What happens when you tell them they can’t do something? They do the exact opposite. From a health communications viewpoint, we know that shaming doesn’t work. It doesn’t work for HIV testing. It doesn’t work for getting people treated for STDs (sexually transmitted diseases). And it has not been working for getting people to wear masks. What does work is normalizing positive behavior.”

He said that instead of penalizing those who don’t wear a mask we need to do a better job of explaining the benefits of wearing a mask and encourage those who wear masks to share their stories with others.