Chattahoochee County reports more new COVID-19 cases in past six days than Columbus
Since Friday, Chattahoochee County has reported 175 new COVID-19 cases, more than its larger neighbor of Muscogee County.
Chattahoochee reported 48 new coronavirus cases and zero new deaths Wednesday. To date, 758 of the 1,026 (74%) total cases are people ages 15-24. Male residents account for 957 (93%) of Chattahoochee’s overall cases, according to the Georgia Geospatial Information Office which uses data provided by the Georgia Department of Public Health to break down a county’s cases and deaths by age, sex, race and ethnicity.
Cases began to increase in Chattahoochee County on Aug. 21 when 45 new cases were reported. It was the first time more than 40 new cases were reported in the county over a 24-hour period since Aug. 1.
All residents and soldiers in training at Fort Benning who test positive for COVID-19 are counted among Chattahoochee’s totals, officials at Martin Army Community Hospital and the Georgia Department of Public Health previously told the Ledger-Enquirer. Outbreaks at the post have caused the county’s coronavirus totals to increase in the past.
The post is one of the largest in the nation, and as of mid-August, more than 31,000 coronavirus tests had been conducted at Martin Army Community Hospital, said Major Scott Robinson, the hospital’s chief of preventive medicine.
Over the past two weeks, 7.5% of Chattahoochee County’s tests were positive. Since the start of the pandemic, 5.6% of the COVID-19 tests came back positive. Both figures are lower than Muscogee’s results. Various coronavirus restrictions remain in effect at the post.
“We continue to test large numbers of persons, and have trained people to help with contact tracing,” Robinson said in an email earlier this month. “The combination of countermeasures we have implemented to protect the Fort Benning community from COVID-19, and to ensure that the communities surrounding Fort Benning are not at risk from illnesses occurring on post are comprehensive, resource-intensive, and costly, but are proving their worth.”
But the number of tests reported to state health department varies widely day-to-day. On Aug. 26, only three viral tests were reported through the state’s electronic lab reporting system. On July 23, 458 tests were reported.
Chattahoochee County has the highest rate of COVID-19 cases when adjusted for population among counties in Georgia, 9545.07 per 100,000 people. However, Robinson said, trainees who arrive at Benning aren’t counted in the county’s population which has the effect of raising the county’s COVID-19 case rate.
“The state is counting only 10,000 residents for Chattahoochee,” he said in an email this week. “There are over 9,000 recruits alone.”
The Ledger-Enquirer has reached out to DPH for more information about Chattahoochee County’s case rate.
What does the data say about Muscogee County?
Muscogee County reported 31 new COVID-19 cases and one new death Wednesday. Since Friday, the county reported 166 cases.
According to the latest data release from the Georgia Department of Public Health, 5,361 coronavirus cases and 126 deaths in Columbus have been confirmed since the start of the pandemic.
On Wednesday, 187 viral tests were reported, and Muscogee County’s test positivity rate for the past two weeks is 9.3%. Since the start of the pandemic, 11.4% of Muscogee County’s tests have been positive. The World Health Organization’s recommended test positivity percentage is 5% or less to properly track outbreaks and locate milder cases of the disease.
According to data provided by the Georgia Geospatial Information Office, adults ages 25 to 34 account for 1,124 (about 21%) of Columbus’ cases. That is the largest portion. Female residents account for 3,034 (57%) of the county’s cases. Black residents account for 2,216 (41%) of Columbus’ cases, while the race of about 1,712 (about 32%) cases is unknown.
People ages 65-74 account for the largest portion of COVID-19 deaths in Muscogee County — 40 deaths (32%). Female residents account for the largest portion of deaths with 70 (56%) overall. Black residents account for 69 (55%) of the county’s coronavirus deaths.
Georgia update
Cases: 260,590 (+2,322 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.
Georgia reported 2,391 coronavirus cases a week ago on Aug. 19, and 3,660 coronavirus cases two weeks ago on Aug. 12.
Deaths: 5,311 (+50 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 271,737 total antibody tests and 2,248,901 total viral tests (+18,051 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: 2,227. That’s a decrease of 33 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.
This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 4:44 PM.