Columbus reports increased COVID-19 test positivity rate, case rates still high
COVID-19 cases remained flat last week, but Columbus’ seven-day test positive rate went above the 6% mark and the county’s case rate remains high, according to a report from the Georgia Department of Public Health.
The department’s County Indicator Report, published Monday, shows Muscogee County reported 132 cases from Sept. 19-25, an increase of 1 case from the week before. The county’s case rate remained above 100 cases per 100,000 people.
However, the county’s weekly test positivity rate jumped from 5.3% to 6.1% The World Health Organization’s recommended test positivity percentage is 5% or less for at least 14 days before public health restrictions are relaxed. A rate below 5% could mean a state is properly tracking outbreaks and locating milder cases of the disease.
Taylor, Crisp and Dooly counties, part of Columbus’ West Central Health District, were listed as “high transmission” counties, meaning the counties test positivity rate was greater than 10% and more than 100 cases per 100,000 people were reported over a two-week period.
Chattahoochee County, home to much of Fort Benning, reported 19 cases from Sept. 19 to 25, down from 84 cases the week before. However, the county’s weekly test positivity rate jumped from 2.9% to 14.3%. A positivity rate over 5% may indicate only the sickest patients who seek out medical care are being tested and are not locating milder cases and outbreaks. Two cases were removed from the county’s total Tuesday, bringing Chattahoochee’s case tally to 1,632.
Muscogee County case breakdown
On Tuesday, 15 new cases and 1 new death was reported for Muscogee County. Since the start of the pandemic, 6,034 coronavirus cases and 170 deaths have been confirmed in Columbus.
Muscogee County reported 258 new viral tests, and Columbus’ test positivity rate for the past two weeks is 5.8%. Since the start of the pandemic, 10.6% of Muscogee County’s tests have been positive.
According to data from the Georgia Geospatial Information Office, adults ages 25 to 34 account for 1,244 (about 21%) of Columbus’ cases. That is the largest portion. Female residents account for 3,415 (57%) of the county’s cases. Black residents account for 2,571 (43%) of Columbus’ cases, while the race for 1,648 (27%) of cases is unknown.
People ages 65-74 account for the largest portion of COVID-19 deaths in Muscogee County — 51 deaths (30%). Female residents account for the largest portion of deaths with 90 (53%) overall. Black residents account for 86 (51%) of the county’s coronavirus deaths.
Over the last two weeks, Muscogee County reported 130 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people. Current coronavirus orders from Gov. Brian Kemp allow local governments to implement mask mandates if their county reports 100 or more cases per 100,000 people over a 14-day period.
Georgia update
Cases: 316,306 (+1,081 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: 6,994 (+34 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 301,535 total antibody tests and 2,910,833 total viral tests (+12,229 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 an average of 191 daily coronavirus tests per 100,000 residents. That’s 50% of the state’s testing target, according to reporting by the New York Times and estimates made by the Harvard Global Health Institute.
Current COVID-19 hospitalizations: 1,348, an increase of 29 since Monday.
This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 4:21 PM.