Georgia reports nearly 80 new COVID-19 deaths Wednesday. Here are the latest trends
The Georgia Department of Public Health reported 178,323 cumulative COVID-19 cases, up by nearly 3,400 new cases in 24 hours.
Here are some key takeaways from the latest data:
Cases: 178,323 (+3,373 reported today). The number of new cases reported in a day may not match the difference in total cases over a 24-hour period. This occurs because previously reported cases may be removed as duplicate reports are corrected. An older confirmed case may also be reclassified as additional information is collected during an investigation.
Deaths: 3,642 (+79 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. Since July 21, Georgia has reported 466 coronavirus-related deaths.
Tests: Georgia reported 217,543 total antibody tests and 1,512,464 total viral tests (+25,138 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: 3,188. That’s an increase of 31 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.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports Georgia had 4,210 current hospital patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus infections as of July 29. Representatives for the Georgia Department of Public Health said earlier this week that federal data includes some long-term acute care and rehabilitation facilities, while state data is only from acute care hospitals.
Total COVID hospitalizations: 17,964, an increase of 420 in 24 hours.
Hospital capacity: As of Tuesday, 88% of the state’s critical care beds are full. 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 E, which includes Athens-Clarke County and its surrounding area, has one critical care bed left. Region H, which includes some Middle Georgia counties such as Baldwin, Laurens and Twiggs, has one critical care bed left, according to the state’s emergency management agency.
Cases per 100,000: Echols (5,542.96), Chattahoochee (5,135.36), Stewart (3,981.07), Randolph (3,568.26) and Bacon (3,472.47) 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 2,894 cases, up 96 cases in 24 hours. The county reported 58 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths, an increase of two deaths in 24 hours.
▪ Muscogee County reported 4,044 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 68 in 24 hours. The county reported 80 coronavirus-related deaths, an increase of four deaths in 24 hours.
▪ Chattahoochee County reported 552 cases, an increase of 34 cases in 24 hours. The county reported 1 coronavirus-related death. No new deaths were reported.
▪ Fulton County reports the highest number of cases in the state at 16,867.