Georgia reported nearly 160 COVID-19 deaths in last two days
The Georgia Department of Public Health reported 152,302 cumulative COVID-19 cases Wednesday, up by more than 3,300 cases in 24 hours.
Here are some key takeaways from the latest data:
Cases: 152,302 (+3,314 in 24 hours). McClatchy measures new cases by subtracting the total number of infections reported the previous day at 3 p.m. from the number reported at 3 p.m. on the most recent day. This reflects when confirmed cases are reported to the state.
Deaths: 3,335 (+81 deaths in 24 hours). That’s the largest single-day increase in deaths since 86 deaths were reported on April 20. The state reported 78 deaths on Tuesday. 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.
Nancy Nydam, a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Public Health, said increases in cases and hospitalizations in July have contributed to the increase in deaths.
Of the 159 deaths reported over the past 48 hours, 135 (85%) of them occurred in July. The dates for 12 deaths reported Tuesday were unknown and being reviewed, Nydam said.
“With the increase in cases and hospitalizations in July, we unfortunately expect to see deaths increase, and these numbers are a reflection of that,” she said.
Tests: Georgia reported 203,453 total antibody tests and 1,316,844 total viral tests (+21,553 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: 3,179. That’s an increase of 24 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.
Total hospitalizations: 15,922, an increase of 428 in 24 hours.
Hospital capacity: As of Tuesday, 87% of the state’s critical care beds are filled. 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 Muscogee and other Columbus area counties, has 10 critical care beds left.
Cases per 100,000: Echols (5,467), Chattahoochee (4,689), Stewart (3,834), Randolph (3,391) and Early (3,322) 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
As of Wednesday:
▪ Bibb County reported 2,390 cases, up 62 cases in 24 hours. The county reported 47 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths, an increase of three in 24 hours.
▪ Muscogee County reported 3,550 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 30 in 24 hours. The county reported 71 coronavirus-related deaths, an increase of four.
▪ Fulton County reports the highest number of cases in the state at 14,169.
This story was originally published July 22, 2020 at 3:55 PM.