MACON, Ga. — The latest surge in Georgia's COVID-19 case curve already sits more than 1.5x higher than the peak in July 2020.
Last week, Georgia reached an average of more than 7,800 new cases a day. That's within the state's two-week preliminary window, so that tally could go up as the state counts more test results.
The state is now well over halfway to the all-time high of 10,900 new cases in Jan 2021.
Right outside the preliminary window on August 16, more than 10,000 people reported symptoms that day. Many Central Georgia counties also report higher numbers around that same day, which is less than two weeks from the start of school for many kids.
While we cannot definitively make the connection, the Department of Public Health says cases in school-aged kids continue to skyrocket. More than 10,000 kids ages 5-17 get sick each week.
Bibb County had its highest new case count of the entire pandemic on August 17, with more than 230 people reporting symptoms that day.
Bibb reached an average of 171 new cases a day, which is above the large spike in January when Bibb peaked at 159 new cases.
Houston County reported a higher spread rate than Bibb in the last two weeks, but the average sits a little lower at 160 new cases a day. That still doesn't surpass January's peak of 195 new cases, but it is 80x higher than a month ago when Houston County averaged two cases a day.
Wilkinson County has the highest spread rate in Central Georgia right now. On Aug 23, 28 people reported getting sick. That's almost double the previous peak in January.
Meanwhile, more than 90% of ICU beds are full and half of ventilators are already in use. Georgia is averaging more than 300 new patients a day, and that number doubled in the last 10 days. Numbers have not been this high since the main peak in early January.
The death total from the virus continues to rise as well. Right inside the preliminary window, more than 30 Georgians died a day from the virus on average. A month earlier, it was fewer than five.
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