ATLANTA — While the number of daily new cases of COVID-19 in Georgia has slowed over the last few weeks, the average number of deaths continues to remain high. Even more concerning, 11Alive's numbers team has noticed a slow but significant uptick in the deaths among the 18 to 29-year-old age group.
According to the data that 11Alive has been tracking, 51 people in that age category have died during the duration of the pandemic in Georgia.
Data shows the group makes up, by far, the state's largest number of cases - more than 76,000 of the total number of cases. The next largest group is 30 to 39-year-olds, with nearly 50,000 total cases.
While 51 deaths out of 76,000 cases account for less than 1 percent of cases among the 18 to 29 age group - and more than 99 percent of those who contract the virus in this age group will likely survive - what is concerning is the acceleration of the number of deaths. Along those lines, the racial disparity seen in those deaths is concerning, as well.
Here's what we know about deaths in the age group from the data:
When did these deaths happen?
On July 1, there were only 14 deaths counted for the 18 to 29 age group for the whole of the pandemic up until that date. However, by one month later, Aug. 1, that number had doubled to 28 deaths.
By Sept. 1, that number had increased significantly again to 45 total deaths. Two weeks later, by the most recent data available on Sept. 18, that number now stands at 51, as shown in the graph below.
What do the demographics look like?
According to the data, roughly half of those who died were male - 29 out of the 51 deaths. A significant percentage - 45 percent, or 23 out of 51 - were Black.
What about underlying health conditions?
According to the data, roughly one-third of the patients - 18 out of 51 - who died did not have chronic conditions. Another third - or about 17 of the 51 - did have underlying health conditions. The last third - about 16 of the 51 - were unknown.
What does this mean?
The numbers seem to be consistent with the trends that we have seen thus far in the pandemic. The age group affected, 18 to 29, is largely believed to account for the greatest share in the number of positive COVID-19 cases across the country, as shown in the numbers for Georgia. But research, to date, has shown that the age group is less likely to experience severe side effects and hospitalizations from the virus, also reflected in the data.
However, one trend that still seems to be apparent - regardless of the age group - Black Americans, and men, seem to be more likely to get hospitalized and die from COVID-19, which is also reflected in the data for Georgia.
While it is still good to see that deaths among the age group are low, it does show that they do happen, and caution still needs to be taken, no matter how old someone is. 11Alive will continue to track the numbers to see if the acceleration trends continue.
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.
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