ATLANTA — On Wednesday, the state of Georgia set a new single-day record for new COVID cases since the start of the pandemic.
According to data from Georgia's Department of Public Health, there are 19,124 new COVID cases on Dec. 29, including both PCR and antigen tests.
The previous record was set on Jan. 8 of this year with 13,296, including both PCR and antigen tests.
Average daily case numbers are up 694% since Thanksgiving and have tripled in just one week's time. In the past week, average daily cases (shown in the dotted line) are up 192%.
Georgia's average daily testing numbers are up 18% in the past week, which means more people are getting tested. In the past 24 hours, one-third of COVID tests have come back positive.
According to the CDC, widespread community transmission occurs when a COVID positivity rate is above 5%. As of Wednesday, Georgia's positivity rate is nearly 35%, almost seven times higher than what is recommended.
Hospitalizations are also a concern across Georgia. Cobb, Douglas and Cherokee hospital regions continue to lead the state with the highest number of hospitalizations.
According to data from the DPH, hospitalizations are up 96% in the past week and have nearly doubled since Dec. 22.
However, while cases are continuing to climb, it should be noted 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.
Visit the 11Alive coronavirus page for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about Georgia specifically, learn more about the symptoms, and keep tabs on the cases around the world.
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.
*Hospitalization numbers lag about five days, meaning those low numbers could increase*
THE LATEST DATA:
- As of 2:50 p.m., there have been 26,358 deaths in Georgia, an increase of 45 deaths since Tuesday. Over the last 14 days where numbers were reported by DPH, the average daily increase in newly reported deaths was 31.5 deaths each day. Over the previous 14-day period where numbers were reported, the average daily increase in newly reported deaths was 32.
- There have been 1,384,606 cases confirmed in Georgia, an increase of 13, 781 since Tuesday. Over the last 14 days where numbers were reported by DPH, the average daily increase in newly confirmed cases were 6451.71 new cases a day. Over the previous 14-day period where numbers were reported, the average daily increase in newly confirmed cases was 1,304.
- There have been 94,250 total patients hospitalized in Georgia during the pandemic, an increase of 357 since Monday, according to the Department of Public Health's cumulative total. Over the last 14 days where numbers were reported, the average daily increase in new patients was 268.93 new patients a day. Over the previous 14-day period where numbers were reported, the average daily increase in new patients was 152.43.
- The Georgia Emergency Management Agency began reporting current statewide hospitalizations on May 1. That day they reported 1,500 current hospitalizations. The agency discontinued its daily report on Sept. 5, 2020, pointing instead to the newly created Georgia COVID-19 Data Hub.
- According to Georgia's new database, as of Dec. 29, there were 2,564 current hospitalizations – an increase of 362 hospitalizations since Tuesday.
- In addition, 53% of Georgians are now fully vaccinated, with 7% in-between doses, and 40% still unvaccinated.
COUNTY- CASES- DEATHS
Appling 2826 98
Atkinson 1203 32
Bacon 1997 52
Baker 247 13
Baldwin 5383 174
Banks 2555 64
Barrow 14070 198
Bartow 16570 329
Ben Hill 1884 72
Berrien 1573 51
Bibb 21225 598
Bleckley 1119 41
Brantley 1920 76
Brooks 1419 56
Bryan 4775 65
Bulloch 8148 100
Burke 2358 48
Butts 3612 114
Calhoun 618 21
Camden 6210 82
Candler 1129 50
Carroll 10865 162
Catoosa 8950 98
Charlton 1758 44
Chatham 34642 683
Chattahoochee 5512 16
Chattooga 3853 92
Cherokee 34125 464
Clarke 18831 181
Clay 239 4
Clayton 40285 747
Clinch 1029 34
Cobb 97398 1346
Coffee 6431 197
Colquitt 5696 136
Columbia 15298 260
Cook 1692 53
Coweta 14987 357
Crawford 856 40
Crisp 1886 66
Dade 1958 19
Dawson 4494 77
DeKalb 90787 1273
Decatur 3561 79
Dodge 1558 64
Dooly 1098 38
Dougherty 9422 393
Douglas 20054 253
Early 1563 53
Echols 415 5
Effingham 7219 153
Elbert 2117 72
Emanuel 2721 73
Evans 1149 35
Fannin 3353 97
Fayette 11515 227
Floyd 16517 325
Forsyth 29909 290
Franklin 3410 69
Fulton 131934 1734
Gilmer 3635 122
Glascock 195 7
Glynn 12730 306
Gordon 9114 181
Grady 2488 68
Greene 2399 65
Gwinnett 123654 1477
Habersham 6754 202
Hall 36148 658
Hancock 1050 75
Haralson 2513 48
Harris 3391 86
Hart 2400 50
Heard 1119 27
Henry 33152 501
Houston 16776 298
Irwin 912 22
Jackson 13726 222
Jasper 1117 32
Jeff Davis 1821 45
Jefferson 1883 69
Jenkins 898 43
Johnson 1043 52
Jones 2731 90
Lamar 2402 86
Lanier 804 12
Laurens 6133 211
Lee 2747 75
Liberty 6784 99
Lincoln 718 27
Long 1421 21
Lowndes 11395 235
Lumpkin 4791 94
Macon 868 40
Madison 4414 74
Marion 684 34
McDuffie 2370 63
McIntosh 1424 29
Meriwether 2405 101
Miller 1007 15
Mitchell 2223 90
Monroe 2917 119
Montgomery 1164 41
Morgan 2071 42
Murray 6623 141
Muscogee 22085 591
Newton 12982 328
Non-GA Resident/Unknown State 35584 784
Oconee 4860 74
Oglethorpe 1800 42
Paulding 19170 258
Peach 2795 96
Pickens 3835 95
Pierce 2153 90
Pike 1979 53
Polk 6746 143
Pulaski 912 42
Putnam 2773 84
Quitman 124 3
Rabun 2247 64
Randolph 621 40
Richmond 27803 607
Rockdale 10723 241
Schley 350 8
Screven 1368 35
Seminole 1231 23
Spalding 7439 290
Stephens 4697 114
Stewart 1422 30
Sumter 2913 134
Talbot 625 28
Taliaferro 130 3
Tattnall 2734 73
Taylor 786 34
Telfair 984 56
Terrell 848 56
Thomas 6154 164
Tift 4965 142
Toombs 4479 155
Towns 1610 71
Treutlen 899 45
Troup 9435 272
Turner 833 41
Twiggs 780 49
Union 3326 120
Unknown 3088 5
Upson 2878 140
Walker 10292 138
Walton 12134 326
Ware 4607 207
Warren 531 20
Washington 2403 79
Wayne 4450 160
Webster 181 7
Wheeler 626 32
White 4687 118
Whitfield 20088 331
Wilcox 649 32
Wilkes 920 27
Wilkinson 1135 41
Worth 1795 79