COVID made for a deadly September in Muscogee County. Here’s the latest data.
Muscogee County saw 45 COVID deaths in September, and even as new cases trend downward, Georgia officials are warning of a winter surge.
September was significantly deadlier than August, when there were 14 COVID deaths in Muscogee County. In the last week, Muscogee County reported 15 deaths from COVID-19. There have been 498 deaths from COVID-19 in Muscogee County since the start of the pandemic.
During a Thursday press conference, Gov. Brian Kemp reported COVID cases in the state dropped by 32% over the last two weeks and hospitalizations dropped by a third in the past week. However, he encouraged residents who have not already been vaccinated to do so before winter, when officials anticipate another surge in cases.
Public health officials have also encouraged residents who have received the Pfizer vaccine to get the booster shot if they are eligible. These individuals include people over 65 years old, those in long-term care facilities, people with underlying medical conditions, pregnant individuals and those who have occupational exposure.
Residents may reach out to the West Central Health District for more information about the vaccines, booster shots and where to get them.
Here are the latest COVID-19 trends in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties, according to DPH data.
Muscogee County
Muscogee County reported a two-week case rate of 404 cases per 100,000 people, as of Sept. 30, with a September high of 692 per 100,000 reported on the first of the month.
There were 774 coronavirus cases reported in Muscogee County in the last two weeks. This is the lowest it’s been since Aug. 8 when there were 728 cases in a two-week period. The seven-day moving average on Sept. 30 was 54 cases.
The seven-day moving average is calculated by taking the number of cases reported in the last seven days, adding them up and then dividing by seven.
Over the last week, 3,091 new viral tests were reported, and Muscogee County’s test positivity rate for the past two weeks is 14.7%.
There are 83,666 residents (43%) in Muscogee County who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 73,716 (38%) are fully vaccinated. This is up from 41.1% of residents having received one dose and 35.1% being fully vaccinated on Sept. 1.
Harris County
Harris County reported a two-week case rate of 328 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people on Sept. 30. There were 114 new cases reported in the county during the last two weeks, down from the month’s high that occurred Sept. 4 when there were 217 cases in a two-week period.
The number of cases in a two-week period has trended down throughout September.
The county reported one COVID death in the last week, and there were five deaths in September. There have been 3,037 cases and 69 deaths in Harris County since the pandemic began.
There were 422 new viral tests reported in the last week, and Harris County’s test positivity rate for the past two weeks is 17.4%.
Harris County has fully vaccinated 41% of its residents, as of Sept. 30, a 3% increase from Sept. 1. Residents who have received at least one dose of the vaccine increased from 45% to 47% during the same time period.
As of Sept. 30, 15,953 (47%) residents in Harris County have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 13,958 (41%) residents are fully vaccinated.
Georgia update
Total cases: 1,223,189 (+19,544 reported since Sept. 23). 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: 97.19% of COVID-19 cases in Georgia are estimated to be caused by the delta variant, according to the CDC.
Vaccination Rate: 54% of Georgians have received at least one dose, while 47% are fully vaccinated.
Total deaths: 22,483 (+654 deaths since Sept. 23). 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: 11.3%. The rate over the past two weeks is 10.4% positive.
Current COVID hospitalizations: 240 hospitalizations reported on Sept. 30.
More information about COVID-19 data in Georgia can be found on DPH’s COVID-19 status website.
