Coronavirus

Georgia tops 200,000 cumulative COVID cases less than one month after hitting 100,000

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported 201,713 cumulative COVID-19 cases Wednesday, up by nearly 3,817 new cases in 24 hours.

Here are some key takeaways from the latest data:

Cases: 201,713 (+3,817 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.

Georgia surpassed 100,000 total cases on July 7, less than a month ago.

Deaths: 3,984 (+65 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 231,824 total antibody tests and 1,695,224 total viral tests (+30,812 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: 3,077. That’s a decrease of 17 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 4,254 current hospital patients in an inpatient bed with confirmed or suspected coronavirus infections as of Aug. 5. Representatives for the Georgia Department of Public Health previously said that federal data includes some long-term acute care and rehabilitation facilities, while state data is only from acute care hospitals.

Total COVID hospitalizations: 19,788, an increase of 362 in 24 hours.

Hospital capacity: As of Tuesday, 87% 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 I, which includes Columbus and its surrounding counties, has one critical care bed left, according to the state’s emergency management agency.

Cases per 100,000: Chattahoochee (6,475.02), Echols (5,442.18), Stewart (4,127.92), Randolph (3,938.41) and Bacon (3,682.92) 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

Chattahoochee County reported 696 cases, up 31 cases in 24 hours. Since Aug. 1, 102 COVID-19 cases have been reported in the county. The county reported 1 confirmed coronavirus-related death. No new deaths were reported.

Muscogee County reported 4,455 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 65 cases in 24 hours. The county reported 89 coronavirus-related deaths, an increase of six in 24 hours. That’s the largest single-day increase in coronavirus deaths by date of report since the start of the pandemic.

In Middle Georgia, Bibb County reported 3,353 cases, up 88 cases in 24 hours. The county reported 65 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths, an increase of three in 24 hours.

Fulton County reports the highest number of cases in the state at 18,996.

This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Georgia tops 200,000 cumulative COVID cases less than one month after hitting 100,000."

Follow More of Our Reporting on Coronavirus in Georgia

Nick Wooten
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Nick Wooten is the Accountability/Investigative reporter for the Ledger-Enquirer where he is responsible for covering several topics, including Georgia politics. His work may also appear in the Macon Telegraph. Nick was given the Georgia Press Association’s 2021 Emerging Journalist award for his coverage of elections, COVID-19 and Columbus’ LGBTQ+ community. Before joining McClatchy, he worked for The (Shreveport La.) Times covering city government and investigations. He is a graduate of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.
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