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Not just more testing: Georgia's rate of positive coronaivrus cases also on the rise

Georgia started increasing the state's testing in late May. That's when the rate started dipping down a bit. But since June 22, that rate has been going up.

ATLANTA — One hundred thousand COVID-19 cases - that's how many people in Georgia have contracted the virus since the beginning of the year.

The state added more than 3,400 cases on Tuesday, the second largest jump to date. The day's spike highlights that while there was a slight dip over the holiday weekend, the upward climb of our curve, shown in the graph below, continues.

Credit: WXIA

Some of our 11Alive viewers have been asking about the rate of positive tests. 11Alive is Where Atlanta Speaks, so we wanted to answer that question.

Take a look at the graph below. It shows is how many people have the virus compared to the number of tests given. It's not an exact science, but it gives you an idea of what's going on.

Georgia started increasing the state's testing in late May. That's when the rate started dipping down a bit. But, as you can see, since the week of June 22, when cases start growing, so did the rate of positive cases. That means it's not just more testing that's causing this spike.

Credit: WXIA
Georgia's rate of positive coronavirus cases

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends this rate of positive cases stays below 15 percent, and right now, we are at 10.3 percent. But as it ticks up, so does the strain on our hospital resources.

In the metro area, Cobb County saw the biggest increase in new coronavirus cases, with 225 new cases added on Tuesday. The county's daily average is now four times higher than it was a month ago, as shown in the graph below.

Credit: WXIA
Cobb County new coronavirus cases as of July 7, 2020.

11Alive is focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the virus. We want to keep you informed about the latest developments while ensuring that we deliver confirmed, factual information.

We will track the most important coronavirus elements relating to Georgia on this page. Refresh often for new information.

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