Georgia reports nearly 4,300 new COVID-19 cases. Here are the 24-hour trends
The Georgia Department of Public Health reported nearly 157,000 cumulative COVID-19 cases Thursday, up by nearly 4,300 new cases in 24 hours.
Here are some key takeaways from the latest data:
Cases: 156,588 (+4,286 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: 3,360 (+25 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.
Nancy Nydam, a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Public Health, said increases in cases and hospitalizations in July contributed to the increase in deaths reported Tuesday and Wednesday.
Of the 159 deaths reported Tuesday and Wednesday, 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 Wednesday.
Tests: Georgia reported 205,171 total antibody tests and 1,336,938 total viral tests (+20,094 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 COVID Hospitalizations: 3,157. That’s a decrease of 22 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 COVID hospitalizations: 16,353, an increase of 431 in 24 hours.
Hospital capacity: As of Thursday, 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 H, which includes some Middle Georgia counties such as Baldwin, Laurens and Twiggs, has 3 critical care beds left.
Cases per 100,000: Echols (5,467), Chattahoochee (4,698), Stewart (3,834), Randolph (3,405) and Terrell (3,201) 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
▪ Bibb County reported 2,507 cases, up 117 cases in 24 hours. The county reported 49 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths, an increase of two in 24 hours.
▪ Houston County reported 1,368 cases, up 71 cases in 24 hours. The county reported 36 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths. No new deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.
▪ Muscogee County reported 3,642 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 92 in 24 hours. The county reported 72 coronavirus-related deaths, an increase of one in 24 hours.
▪ Fulton County reports the highest number of cases in the state at 14,673.
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 3:52 PM.