As new COVID-19 cases decline, Georgia passes 300,000 confirmed infections
While Georgia continues to see daily declines in confirmed infections, state health officials reported Thursday more than 300,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
About 1,900 new cases were reported statewide, and the state is nearing 6,500 total coronavirus deaths, according to the latest update from Georgia’s Department of Public Health.
Here’s the breakdown:
Muscogee County case breakdown
Muscogee County continues to report declines. The latest data from the health department shows 21 new cases were confirmed.
Since the start of the pandemic, Muscogee County has reported 5,809 coronavirus cases and 160 deaths. One new death was reported Thursday.
On Thursday, 203 new viral tests were reported, and Muscogee County’s test positivity rate for the past two weeks is 6.3%. 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, 10.9% of Muscogee County’s tests have been positive.
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 1,204 (about 21%) of Columbus’ cases. That is the largest portion. Female residents account for 3,286 (57%) of the county’s cases. Black residents account for 2,433 (42%) of Columbus’ cases, while the race of about 1,703 (29%) cases is unknown.
People ages 65-74 account for the largest portion of COVID-19 deaths in Muscogee County — 50 deaths (31%). Female residents account for the largest portion of deaths with 84 (53%) overall. Black residents account for 82 (51%) of the county’s coronavirus deaths.
Regional update
Here are the new case totals for some counties near Columbus:
- Chattahoochee County, home to Fort Benning, reported 16 new cases.
- Troup County reported 12 new cases.
- Stewart County lost two cases. The county is home to U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement’s Stewart Detention Center Stewart reported 25 new cases Wednesday.
- Both Stewart and Chattahoochee counties are ranked in the top 10 nationwide for the number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 reported over the last seven days.
Georgia update
Cases: 300,903 (+1,901 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: 6,474 (+56 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 292,125 total antibody tests and 2,679,891 total viral tests (+25,770 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 203 daily coronavirus tests per 100,000 residents. That’s 33% 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: 9.2%. Georgia’s overall positivity: 10.3%. This rate is for viral tests reported through the state’s electronic lab reporting system only.
Current COVID hospitalizations: 1,444 a decrease of 31 in 24 hours.
This story was originally published September 17, 2020 at 4:37 PM.