Georgia reports more than 4,200 COVID-19 cases, 50 deaths in latest update
The Georgia Department of Public Health reported 175,052 cumulative COVID-19 cases, up by more than 4,200 new cases in 24 hours.
Here are some key takeaways from the latest data:
Cases: 175,052 (+4,293 reported today). The number of new cases reported in a day may not match the difference in total cases over a 24-hour period. This occurs because previously reported cases may be removed as duplicate reports are corrected. An older confirmed case may also be reclassified as additional information is collected during an investigation.
Deaths: 3,563 (+54 deaths in 24 hours). It’s important to note that these numbers indicate when deaths are reported to the Georgia Department of Public Health. It does not reflect when these deaths occurred. Since July 21, Georgia has reported 387 coronavirus-related deaths.
Tests: Georgia reported 216,727 total antibody tests and 1,487,326 total viral tests (+34,363 new viral tests in 24 hours). These totals don’t account for tests that are not reported through the state’s electronic lab reporting system.
Current COVID Hospitalizations: 3,157. That’s a decrease of 24 patients in 24 hours. The count includes any patient in a Georgia hospital who has tested positive for COVID-19 at the time of the report. This count does not include patients who are being investigated for possible infection by health officials.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports Georgia had 4,210 current hospital patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus infections as of July 28. Representatives for the Georgia Department of Public Health said earlier this week that federal data includes some long-term acute care and rehabilitation facilities, while state data is only from acute care hospitals.
Total COVID hospitalizations: 17,544, an increase of 406 in 24 hours.
Hospital capacity: As of Monday, 86% of the state’s critical care beds are full. Not all critical care beds in the state are filled with COVID-19 patients. Some regions have less than 10 critical care beds available. Region E, which includes Athens-Clarke County and its surrounding area, has no critical care beds left. Region H, which includes some Middle Georgia counties such as Baldwin, Laurens and Twiggs, has two critical care beds left, according to the state’s emergency management agency.
Cases per 100,000: Echols (5,492.57), Chattahoochee (4,819.05), Stewart (3,915.81), Randolph (3,509.03) and Bacon (3,454.93) counties have the highest coronavirus rates per 100,000 people in the state.
The health department is not reporting how many Georgians have recovered.
For a complete county-by-county list, visit the Georgia Department of Public Health’s website.
Regional update
▪ In Middle Georgia, Bibb County reported 2,798 cases, up 67 cases in 24 hours. The county reported 56 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths, an increase of three deaths in 24 hours.
▪ Muscogee County reported 3,976 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 83 in 24 hours. The county reported 76 coronavirus-related deaths, an increase of one death in 24 hours.
▪ Fulton County reports the highest number of cases in the state at 16,482.
DPH makes changes to daily update page
The Georgia Department of Public Health implemented changes to its daily update page in an effort to “make the dashboard more user-friendly while providing an accurate picture of COVID-19 in Georgia,” according to a department news release.
The changes are:
- A new color scale for maps based on county-level case counts or rates. Outliers are removed from these calculations. The scale will change every four weeks. The scale will be calculated based on the current data at the beginning of each four-week period. DPH will publish historic maps when the scale changes. (Rates may not be accurate when case counts are less than 5 and are not presented.)
- A map showing the last two weeks of cases per 100,000 people.
The “COVID-19 Over Time” chart has option to select two dates: Date of Onset/Death or Date of Report. Statewide or county-level data can be viewed.
The “Reported Today” section includes cases, deaths, hospitalizations and viral laboratory tests reported to DPH since the last update.
“Non-Georgia Resident” is now called “Non-GA Resident/Unknown State.” This category represents Non-Georgia residents and cases with unknown residence. It may include in- and out-of-state cases. This change was implemented Tuesday.
This story was originally published July 28, 2020 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Georgia reports more than 4,200 COVID-19 cases, 50 deaths in latest update."