Muscogee County reports 10 new COVID-19 cases Monday, plus more data from state update
Georgia health officials reported three new deaths and nearly 1,200 new cases Monday as few confirmed infections were reported in the Columbus area.
Here’s the breakdown:
Muscogee County case breakdown
Muscogee County reported 10 new cases and no new deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, Muscogee County has reported 5,874 coronavirus cases and 163 deaths.
On Monday, 242 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, 10.8% 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 1,210 (about 21%) of Columbus’ cases. That is the largest portion. Female residents account for 3,319 (57%) of the county’s cases. Black residents account for 2,468 (42%) of Columbus’ cases, while the race of about 1,705 (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 86 (53%) overall. Black residents account for 82 (slightly above 50%) of the county’s coronavirus deaths.
Georgia update
Cases: 307,339 (+1,187 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: 6,604 (+3 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 295,904 total antibody tests and 2,770,863 total viral tests (+20,041 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 182 daily coronavirus tests per 100,000 residents. That’s 34% 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: 15.7%. Georgia’s overall positivity: 10.2%. This rate is for viral tests reported through the state’s electronic lab reporting system only.
Current COVID hospitalizations: 1,421.
DPH issues statement on old data
The Georgia Department of Public Health issued a statement Saturday stating that case increases in some parts of the state were fueled by “many” older cases being reported through the state’s electronic lab system.
State health officials did not clarify how many of the cases were old, in which parts of the state these older cases were reported or what impact this might have on testing numbers or positivity rates in these areas.
The Ledger-Enquirer has reached out to state health officials regarding the statement.
This story was originally published September 21, 2020 at 4:17 PM.