ATLANTA — Friday night brought a new single-day record in Georgia - not only for COVID-19 cases but also for testing.
And while we are seeing nearly double the number of tests than the daily average, Dr. Colin Smith, a clinical assistant professor at Georgia State's School of Public Health, said the spike in cases is outpacing the rise in testing.
"As you have more testing done, you will invariably see more positive cases,” he said. “But the reality is that the numbers that we are seeing in terms of positive cases and in the increase that has happened there outweighs what you would normally see just from an increase in testing."
In addition to seeing a new record for single-day cases on Friday, there have been 82 deaths related to the virus - the fourth-highest to-date in Georgia.
Dr. Smith said he worries that the number could rise soon as he says several places across Georgia are nearing intensive care unit and hospital bed capacity.
"If and when that does happen, I expect the number of individuals who die compared to those infected to increase," he said.
He said the way to prevent this is to continue to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and understand that these might change as they continue to learn more about the virus.
"The reality is that the recommendations of wearing a mask, protect yourself, stay at home as much as possible - these things still hold,” Smith said. “And they are still the most protective things we can do to protect ourselves and all of our loved ones."
For daily coronavirus updates in Georgia, visit our special section.
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