MACON, Ga. — For just over a month, Georgia has seen a steady drop in the number of new COVID-19 cases.
It was around mid-July when Georgia saw its highest average of new cases at just over 4,300 per day. The daily average right before the 2-week preliminary data window sits right above 2,400. The state's average hasn't been that low since June, but it's still more than three times the average reported back during the state's first peak in April.
It is important to note, the curve isn't quite as steep as enters the preliminary window, and the tallies in that time frame are still likely to increase. This will be an area to watch closely in the coming weeks to see if the downward trend actually continues.
Meanwhile, some counties in central Georgia are actually seeing increases.
Bibb County had been following the same downward trend as the rest of the state, but reversed course at the end of July and averaged about 53 new cases a day right before the preliminary window, compared to 46 three weeks before.
Houston County saw a small spike in cases during the first week in August after a steady downward trend.
That is the same week students went back to the classroom, and there have been cases confirmed at several schools in the district, although right now it's too early to tell if the increase is tied to the return to school.
Meanwhile, counties like Bleckley, Laurens, and Pulaski all continue to see increases in cases.
Bleckley County recorded more than half of its total cases for the entire pandemic in the last two weeks.
Laurens County added more than a third of its total cases in that same time.
Pulaski also saw a jump in cases, logging more than a quarter of its total in the last two weeks.
As we start to move into Fall, concerns around the country are growing about large gatherings at places like colleges, weddings, and football games.
Georgia Tech released a new interactive county map showing the risk of at least one person having COVID-19 at different-sized gatherings.
For example, in many central Georgia counties, if you show up somewhere with 99 other people, there is a more than 99% chance someone with COVID-19 is there with you. Even cutting the gathering down to just 25 people, the risk still sits around 80% or 90% for some central Georgia counties. In Bibb County, there is still a 78% chance someone in a group of 25 will have COVID-19.
There is a downward trend in new hospitalizations reported across the state, but again, the numbers are well-above levels reported in April.
COVID-19-related deaths in the state did not follow the same trend. There had been a drop in new deaths each day, but deaths reported within the preliminary window are already causing the moving average to plateau and these tallies are still likely to increase.