More than 324,000 people in Georgia have (or have had) coronavirus, per the state Department of Public Health, which reported 979 new cases in addition to 39 virus-related deaths on Tuesday.
According to the latest report by the DPH issued just before 3 pm, there have been 324,650 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the state. A total of 7,229 fatalities have been attributed to the virus. In Floyd County, there were 3,338 confirmed cases and 47 deaths. Fulton County had the state’s highest number of confirmed cases with 28,258 and the most fatalities with 581.
View the COVID-19 Daily Status Report and get information on testing from the Georgia Department of Public Health at www.dph.georgia.gov.
The DPH provided an update about COVID-19 trends in Georgia on Tuesday. The seven-day average of new cases reported increased by 3.4 percent from September 28th to October 5th. The average is down 67 percent from the peak on July 24th. The statewide positivity rate rose from 6.3 percent on September 28th to seven percent on October 5th. Daily hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have decreased from 1,317 on September 28th to 1,271 on October 5th, a drop of 3.5 percent during the past week. Hospitalizations are down by 60 percent since a daily high of 3,200 back on July 30th. Floyd remained among counties statewide with high transmission rates.
The health department has received an initial shipment of Abbott BinaxNOW rapid COVID-19 tests. The first distribution contains 207,000 of the antigen tests, but Georgia is slated to receive three million by year’s end. Initial tests will be distributed among public health districts statewide for use in schools, colleges and universities, among first responders and other critical areas.
Governor Brian Kemp and DPH Commissioner Dr. Kathleen E. Toomey will provide an update on COVID-19 this morning at 9 am at the State Capitol.