Georgia exceeds 190,000 total COVID-19 cases in Saturday’s update. Here’s more

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported more than 190,000 cumulative COVID-19 cases, up by more than 3,600 new cases in 24 hours.

Here are some key takeaways from the latest data:

Cases: 190,012 (+3,709 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: 3,825 (+74 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.

Tests: Georgia reported 224,874 total antibody tests and 1,596,085 total viral tests (+21,398 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-19 hospitalizations: 3,095. That’s an decrease of 60 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 4,420 current hospital patients in an inpatient bed with confirmed or suspected coronavirus infections as of July 31. Representatives of 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: 18,995, an increase of 306 in 24 hours.

Hospital capacity: As of Friday, 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 H, which includes some Middle Georgia counties such as Baldwin, Laurens and Twiggs, has three critical care beds left, according to the state’s emergency management agency.

Cases per 100,000: Chattahoochee (6,140.11), Echols (5,492.57), Stewart (4,030.02), Randolph (3,834.76) and Bacon (3,595.23) 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 3,107 cases, up 55 cases in 24 hours. The county reported 61 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths, an increase of two in 24 hours.

▪ Houston County reported 1,746 cases, up 32 cases in 24 hours. The county reported 49 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths, an increase of three in 24 hours.

▪ Muscogee County reported 4,259 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 58 in 24 hours. The county reported 82 coronavirus-related deaths, an increase of one in 24 hours.

▪ Fulton County reports the highest number of cases in the state at 17,858.