COVID case rate slows through end of August but hospitalizations still rising in Columbus
Muscogee County’s increasing cases of COVID-19 began to slow in the second half of August as the delta variant now accounts for nearly all new coronavirus cases in Georgia.
Although the case rate is not increasing as fast, COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to rise at Piedmont Columbus Regional, senior communications specialist Jessica Roberts said. However, she said Piedmont will not report the specific number of patients with COVID-19.
Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson told the Ledger-Enquirer on Monday that there were more than 170 people hospitalized with the coronavirus in the city. This number factored into the decision to propose a public health state of emergency in Columbus, which was passed by Columbus Council Tuesday.
Here’s a breakdown of recent coronavirus trends in the Columbus area for the past seven days, as well as numbers of note during the month of August.
Muscogee County
Muscogee County reported 1,228 new COVID-19 cases within the last two weeks on Sept. 2, with a two-week case rate of 641 cases per 100,000 people. This is down slightly after reaching 1,315 cases in a two-week period at a rate of 686 cases per 100,000 people on Aug. 29, the highest it was last month.
There were five COVID-related deaths in the county during the past week. Since the start of the pandemic, Muscogee County has reported 18,155 coronavirus cases and 456 deaths.
Over the last week, 3,865 new viral tests were reported, and Muscogee County’s test positivity rate for the past two weeks is 19.8%.
The number of fully vaccinated residents in Muscogee County increased from 32% on Aug. 1 to 35% on Sept. 2, according to data from DPH. Residents who have received at least one dose of the vaccine increased from 37% to 40% during the same time period.
As of Sept. 2, 78,858 Muscogee County residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 67,928 residents are now fully vaccinated.
Chattahoochee County
Chattahoochee County reported a two-week case rate 456 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people on Sept. 2. The county’s case rate decreased for a short period to the month’s low of 223 cases per 100,000 on Aug. 13 before continually increasing again the rest of the month.
The county reported 15 new cases and no deaths in the past week. There have been 4,376 cases and 13 deaths since the pandemic began.
There were 73 new viral tests reported in the last week, and Chattahoochee County’s test positivity rate for the past two weeks is 27%.
It is important to note that all residents and soldiers-in-training at Fort Benning who test positive for COVID-19 are counted in Chattahoochee County’s totals.
Chattahoochee County has fully vaccinated only 17% of its residents, as of Sept. 2, only a one-percent increase from Aug. 1. Residents who have received at least one dose of the vaccine increased from 19% to 20% during the same time period.
As of Sept. 2, 2,154 residents in Chattahoochee County have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 1,829 residents are fully vaccinated.
Georgia update
Total cases: 1,103,756 (+47,138 reported since Aug. 27). 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.
Variant of Concern: 95.6% of COVID-19 cases in Georgia are estimated to be caused by the delta variant, according to the CDC.
Vaccination Rate: 51% of Georgians have received at least one dose of the COVID-19, while 44% are fully vaccinated.
Total deaths: 19,936 (+485 deaths since Aug. 27). 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.
Positivity rate for Georgia today: 11.1%. The rate over the past two weeks is 17.6% positive.
Current COVID hospitalizations: 243 hospitalizations reported on Sept. 2.
More information about COVID-19 data in Georgia can be found on DPH’s COVID-19 status website.
