ATLANTA — Georgia has broken the state's record for the number of test-confirmed COVID-19 cases. An extremely rapid rise in cases pushed totals on Tuesday beyond peaks previously set in January.
The state recorded nearly 14,000 positive tests in its report released Tuesday, a combination of molecular PCR tests and rapid antigen tests. The seven-day average of positive tests in Georgia rose to nearly 10,000.
The news comes almost a year after the highest day for new cases, which was on Jan. 8 of this year.
Average daily case numbers are up 694% since Thanksgiving and have tripled in just one week's time.
Georgia has also had a positivity rate above 5%, which means there is widespread community transmission, according to the CDC. On Monday, that positivity rate was six times higher than that recommended 5%.
The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals climbed to nearly 2,200 statewide on Tuesday, but it's worth noting that hospitalizations are roughly half of what they were during the last two COVID waves -- last winter's surge and the delta surge over the summer.
Rising cases led the city of Atlanta to cancel its New Year's Eve Peach Drop. Meanwhile, Emory University says it will begin spring semester classes online.
State and federal officials with the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are continually monitoring the spread of the virus. They are also working hand-in-hand with the World Health Organization to track the spread around the world and to stop it.