COVID-19 in Middle GA by the numbers: White House task force says testing is ‘fragile’

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported 12,348 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Middle Georgia in its 3 p.m. update Wednesday.

Here are other key takeaways:

Cases: 12,348 (+1,197 reported since Wednesday, Aug. 12). Bibb County has recorded the most positive cases with 4,314.

Deaths: 312 (+28 reported since Wednesday, Aug. 12). 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.

Cases per person: Bibb County has the most cases per 100,000 with 2,835. Next in Middle Georgia is Washington County with 2,778. Crawford County has the fewest with 1,030..

New cases note: Wilkinson County saw a 21% increase in new COVID-19 cases between July 13-26 and a 21% increase between July 27 and Aug. 9.

The health department is not reporting how many Georgians have recovered.

A breakdown of cases and deaths by county

• Bibb 4,314, 86

• Houston 2,307, 62

• Baldwin 1,219, 46

• Laurens 1,167, 19

• Washington 564, 3

• Monroe 516, 32

• Peach 482, 16

• Jones 366, 4

• Bleckley 292, 11

• Dodge 267, 4

• Wilkinson 243, 12

• Macon 190, 10

• Pulaski 151, 3

• Twiggs 144, 4

• Crawford 126, 0

At 3 p.m. Wednesday, the state reported 243,982 confirmed cases and 4,849 deaths.

Federal and county data

White House coronavirus task force report: According to a weekly White House report, Georgia is a COVID-19 red zone, which means the state is reporting more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people and has a test positivity rate above 10%. According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, a high positivity rate may indicate Georgia “is only testing the sickest patients who seek medical attention, and is not casting a wide enough net to know how much of the virus is spreading within its communities.”

Georgia is currently ranked first in most new cases per 100,000 people in the country and is the ninth highest in test positivity for the last week. New cases have started to stabilize, while the test positivity rate saw a small decrease over the past week. There was also a decline in tests performed. The White House report indicated that testing must expand and that the gains made over the last week are fragile, so efforts to slow the spread will need to be continued and expanded.

At the county level, Bibb County has reported one of the highest rates of new cases over the past three weeks. Both Macon and Warner Robins are a red zone, according to the report. The task for recommends that residents in a red zone implement the following measures:

• Wear a mask at all times outside the home and maintain physical distance
• Limit social gatherings to 10 people or fewer
• Do not go to bars, nightclubs, or gyms
• Use take out or eat outdoors socially distanced
• Protect anyone with serious medical conditions at home by social distancing at home and using high levels of personal hygiene, including handwashing and cleaning surfaces
• Reduce your public interactions and activities to 25% of your normal activity

North Central Health District weekly summary: According to the NCHD’s weekly report, the current median age for positive tests in the district was 43 years old, while the median age for COVID-19 deaths was 74 years old.

The latest summary also indicated that 54% of deaths are associated with an outbreak that has occurred in a congregate setting. Thirteen percent of cases have come from those type of outbreaks. In Bibb County, 9% of the cases reported from July 27- Aug. 9 come from a specific outbreak, as opposed to general community spread.

According to the report, the incidence rate of COVID-19 for Bibb County residents between July 27 and Aug. 9 was 456 per 100,000 population. The prior 14-Day Incidence Rate (July 13-26) was 545. There has been a 16% decrease in newly confirmed COVID-19 cases among Bibb County residents between the weeks of July 13-26 and July 27-Aug. 9.

The North Central Health District covers 13 counties, including Macon-Bibb, Houston and Peach.

This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 4:25 PM.