Georgia reports more than 2,700 current COVID-19 hospitalizations, a new record in state

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported nearly 124,000 cumulative COVID-19 cases Tuesday.

Here are some key takeaways from the latest data:

• Cases: 123,963 (+3,394 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.
• People ages 18-29 account for 29,919 (or about 24%) of Georgia’s total coronavirus cases.
  
  
• The seven-day average for newly reported cases is 3,356.14.
• Deaths: 3,054 (+28 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 186,113 total antibody tests and 1,131,034 total viral tests (+23,067 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: 2,741, a new record. That’s an increase of 141 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.
• As of Tuesday, 84% of the state’s critical care beds are in use. Several hospital regions in Georgia have less than 10 critical care beds available, according to the state’s emergency management agency. Region H, which includes some Middle Georgia counties such as Baldwin, Laurens and Twiggs, has 1 critical care bed left. Not every patient in a critical care bed has COVID-19.
• Total COVID-19 hospitalizations as of July 14: 13,685, an increase of 209 in 24 hours.
  
  
• Cases per 100,000: Echols (5,013.86), Chattahoochee (4,502.74), Stewart (3671.07), Randolph (3,138.88) and Early (3,084.96) 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 1,895 cases, up 170 cases in 24 hours. That’s the largest single-day increase in confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic. As of July 14, 43 coronavirus-related deaths have been confirmed in Bibb. No new deaths were reported.

• Muscogee County reported 2,976 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 87 in 24 hours. As of July 14, 63 coronavirus-related deaths have been confirmed, an increase of five in 24 hours. That matches the largest increase in reported deaths in a 24-hour period.
  
  
• Chattahoochee County reported its first death. According to state data, the county’s first death is an 85-year-old white female. The county previously reported a COVID-19 death, but it was later removed.
• Gwinnett County reports the highest number of cases in the state at 11,882.

This story was originally published July 14, 2020 at 4:06 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.