Georgia reports a record 4,800 new COVID-19 cases, 82 deaths
The Georgia Department of Public Health reported more than 161,000 cumulative COVID-19 cases, up by more than 4,800 new cases in 24 hours.
Here are some key takeaways from the latest data:
Cases: 161,401 (+4,813 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: 3,442 (+82 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. That’s most deaths reported in 24-hour period since 86 deaths were reported on April 20. Since Tuesday, 266 COVID-19 deaths have been reported by the state health department.
Nancy Nydam, a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Public Health, said earlier this week increases in cases and hospitalizations in July contributed to the increase in deaths reported.
“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 208,597 total antibody tests and 1,382,444 total viral tests (+45,506 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: 3,135. 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: 16,752, an increase of 399 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 three critical care beds left.
Cases per 100,000: Echols (5,467.), Chattahoochee (4,717), Stewart (3,834), Randolph (3,420) and Bacon (3,253) 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 2,614 cases, up 107 cases in 24 hours. The county reported 51 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths, an increase of two in 24 hours.
▪ Houston County reported 1,430 cases, up 62 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 3,700 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 58 in 24 hours. The county reported 74 coronavirus-related deaths, an increase of two in 24 hours.
▪ Fulton County reports the highest number of cases in the state at 15,221.
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 3:56 PM.