Georgia sets new record for current hospitalizations as COVID-19 cases continue to rise

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported nearly 107,000 cumulative COVID-19 cases Thursday as hospitalizations statewide continue to increase.

Here are some key takeaways from the latest data:

• Cases: 106,727 (+2,837 in 24 hours). McClatchy measures new cases by subtracting the total number of infections reported at 3 p.m. from the total number of infections reported the previous day at 3 p.m. This reflects when confirmed cases are reported to the state.
• The seven-day average for newly reported cases is 2,716.86.
  
  
• Deaths: 2,930 (+8 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 174,915 total antibody tests and 1,019,422 total viral tests (+19,013 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 Hospitalizations: 2,322, a new record. That’s an increase of 107 patients in 24 hours. Current hospitalization numbers are reported by Georgia hospitals to the Department of Public Health. 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 Associated Press reports 82% of Georgia’s critical care beds are now in use. In some hospital regions, like Columbus’ Region I, less than 10 critical care beds are available, according to the state’s emergency management agency. Not every patient in a critical care bed has COVID-19.
  
  
• Total COVID-19 hospitalizations as of July 9: 12,606, an increase of nearly 1,000 since July 3, according to data analyzed by McClatchy.
• Cases per 100,000: Echols (4,812.3), Chattahoochee (4,028.28), Stewart (3,377.39), Randolph (3,035.24) and Early (2,858.27) 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 1,564 cases, up 82 cases in 24 hours. As of July 9, 41 coronavirus-related deaths have been confirmed in Bibb. No new deaths were reported.
  
  
• Muscogee County reported 2,438 total cases, up 94 cases in 24 hours. As of July 9, 55 coronavirus-related deaths have been confirmed in Muscogee. No new deaths were reported.
  
  
• Gwinnett County reports the highest number of cases in the state at 10,415.

This story was originally published July 9, 2020 at 4:18 PM.

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.