Georgia reports more than 730 new coronavirus cases. Here’s what changed in 24 hours

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported nearly 54,000 COVID-19 cases in its 3 p.m. update Wednesday.

Here are some key takeaways:

• Cases: 53,980 (+731 new cases in 24 hours).
  
  
• Deaths: 2,329 (+44 deaths in 24 hours).
  
  
• Current hospitalizations: 817. That’s a decrease of 17 patients following two straight days of increases.
• Tests: 671,249. This number includes 105,491 antibody tests and 565,758 viral tests. However, these totals do not account for tests that are not reported through the state’s electronic lab reporting system.
  
  

• Muscogee County reported 904 cases Wednesday (+36 cases in 24 hours). Cases in Muscogee County continue to rise. The county reported 60 new cases in 24 hours Tuesday. That is the largest single-day increase to date.

• Bibb County reported 516 cases (+5) Wednesday. Cases in Houston, Jones, Peach and Monroe counties increased slightly. But there were not any large increases.

• Fulton County (4,989) reports the highest number of cases in the state.

• Cases per person: Echols (3754.09), Randolph (2753.92), Terrell (2562.89), Early (2493.59) and Hancock (2465.52) counties have the highest number of coronavirus cases per person in the state.
  
  
• The health department is not reporting how many Georgians have recovered.

For a full county-by-county breakdown, visit the state health department’s website.

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.