The Georgia Department of Public Health released a new report Friday that sheds some light on Georgia’s COVID-19 status. The information in the report is a mix of positive and negative facts that help paint a clearer picture of where the state stands in coronavirus infections.
Here are a few of the items mentioned in the report.
The number of new cases of coronavirus are down
New cases for the week of Aug. 10 through 16 were down by 11%. The seven day average of new cases has been decreasing since its peak on July 24 and have gone down 30% since then.
The counties that make up metro Atlanta have the highest percentage of coronavirus cases, but case numbers have decreased 20 to 30% in those counties.
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According to the report, while cases aren decreasing slowly, they are at a very high plateau “magnitudes above where we were in the spring.” That means the state is still at a risk of future increased transmission and even spikes.
Hospitalizations are down
According to the Department of Public Health, the number of hospitalizations has decreased 10.5% since August 14 and 24.7% since July 30. The state also reports that emergency room visits are down.
But there are new hotspots
While cases are decreasing in metro Atlanta, much of the rest of the state is becoming a hotspot. Coronavirus is not just a suburban or a city problem and it has spread to rural areas.
The state’s new hotspot map shows a large area of East Georgia and parts of South Georgia are experiencing alarming transmission rates.
And new outbreaks are occurring
Between August 6 and 12, the state recorded 106 new outbreaks in Georgia.
There were 28 outbreaks at long-term care facilities, 26 outbreaks among schools or school sports teams, 12 outbreaks in prisons, eight outbreaks in workplaces, seven outbreaks in churches, four outbreaks in manufacturing facilities and three outbreaks at day care centers.
