Georgia reports one of lowest COVID-19 case increases since late June
Muscogee County reported 15 new COVID-19 cases Monday as state health officials confirmed over 1,000 new infections statewide.
Since the start of the pandemic, 5,747 coronavirus cases and 159 deaths in Muscogee County have been confirmed. No new deaths were reported Monday.
On Monday, 213 new viral tests were reported, and Muscogee County’s test positivity rate for the past two weeks is 7.1%. The World Health Organization’s recommended test positivity percentage is 5% or less for at least 14 days. A rate below 5% could mean a state is properly tracking outbreaks and locating milder cases of the disease.
Since the start of the pandemic, 11% of Muscogee County’s tests have been positive.
Despite continued declines, Georgia is testing too few people, and the state’s test positivity rate remains too high, according to benchmarks set by public health experts.
Muscogee County case breakdown
The Georgia Geospatial Information Office, using data provided by the Georgia Department of Public Health, breaks down the county’s cases and deaths by age, sex, race and ethnicity.
According to the data, adults ages 25 to 34 account for 1,194 (about 21%) of Columbus’ cases. That is the largest portion. Female residents account for 3,250 (57%) of the county’s cases. Black residents account for 2,420 (42%) of Columbus’ cases, while the race of about 1,684 (29%) cases is unknown.
People ages 65-74 account for the largest portion of COVID-19 deaths in Muscogee County — 49 deaths (31%). Female residents account for the largest portion of deaths with 84 (53%) overall. Black residents account for 82 (52%) of the county’s coronavirus deaths.
Regional update
Few newly confirmed cases in the counties surrounding Columbus were reported Monday. Chattahoochee County reported no new cases after 51 new cases were confirmed Saturday.
Residents and soldiers in training who test positive for the novel coronavirus are counted among Chattahoochee County’s totals, officials at Martin Army Community Hospital and the Georgia Department of Public Health previously said.
The New York Times reports Chattahoochee County had the third-highest number of COVID-19 cases per resident over the past seven days in the United States.
Georgia update
Cases: 295,337 (+1,055 reported today). Excluding Sept. 7, Labor Day, that’s the fewest number of new cases reported statewide since June 21. 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: 6,353 (+20 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 290,730 total antibody tests and 2,615,247 total viral tests (+13,045 viral tests in 24 hours). These totals don’t account for tests that are not reported through the state’s electronic lab reporting system.
Over the last two weeks, Georgia reported 205 daily coronavirus tests per 100,000 residents. That’s 44% of the state’s testing target, according to reporting by the New York Times and estimates made by the Harvard Global Health Institute.
Positivity rate for Georgia today: 8.2%. Georgia’s overall positivity: 10.3%. This rate is for tests reported through the state’s electronic lab reporting system only.
Current COVID hospitalizations: 1,536.
This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 4:29 PM.