MACON, Ga. — After what appeared to be a small plateau in Georgia's COVID-19 case curve, new data from the Department of Public Health shows the state has seen a steady increase in cases starting at the end of September.
Right before the preliminary data window, Georgia averaged 1,436 new cases a day, almost double the initial peak in April. At the highest point in mid-July, the state averaged 4,426 new cases.
Meanwhile, Houston County more than doubled its case average from the end of September to the start of the preliminary data window. At an average of 20.6 new cases a day, the county is inching closer to its highest point in mid-July at 50. In April, Houston County peaked around eight new cases a day.
Bibb County's numbers sit almost exactly where they were at that initial peak in April, averaging about 16 cases a day before the preliminary window. With a few increases along the way, Bibb managed to drop to one-seventh the amount reported at the peak in July at 112 new cases.
Laurens, Peach, Washington, and Monroe counties also show an increase in cases.
Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 took a slight upturn in the latest data. Right now, the state averages 106 new hospitalizations a day. That is the highest it's been in about two and a half weeks. Numbers started going up from less than 100 new cases a day within the last week.
COVID-19-related deaths still appear to be on the decline. Before the preliminary data window, Georgia averaged around 20 deaths a day. That is just over one-quarter of the state's peak average in August.