Georgia no longer worst state for coronavirus transmission

ATLANTA (WRDW/WAGT) - Georgia has given up the dubious title of being the state where COVID-19 is spreading the fastest.

Georgia dipped below Mississippi in recent days for rate of spread, according to a 14-day average kept by The Associated Press.

The virus is still spreading rapidly in the Peach State compared to other places, though.

Here’s a look at some of the latest statistics from the Georgia Department of Public Health:

Positive indicators

COVID-19 cases

• During the week from Aug, 10-27, the state’s weekly statewide case numbers decreased by 11%.
• The seven-day average of new cases reported is down 30% from the peak on July 24
• The top percentage of case numbers still comes from high-population counties in metro Atlanta, although they are experiencing 20-30% decreases in case numbers.

Testing

• As of Aug. 21, the state reported more than 2 million COVID-19 tests.
• DPH is operating 184 testing sites, including mobile and pop-up locations.
• The number of specimens collected at agency sites has now passed 833,000

Positivity rate

• The positivity rates (seven-day moving average) for PCR testing has decreased from 12.2% on Aug. 7 to 10.3% on Aug., 14 to 9.4% on Aug. 21. Georgia has now moved from the “high” PCR positivity rate category to “moderate.”

Hospitalizations

• Daily hospitalizations have decreased 10.5% since Aug. 14 and are down 24.75% since a daily high of 3,200 on July 30.

Areas of concern

Increasing outbreaks

There were 106 outbreaks from Aug. 6-12, They are occurring in settings where people are physically congregating and underscore the need for distancing and source control, according to the health agency. The outbreaks include:

• Long-term care facilities: 28
• Schools/school athletic teams: 26
• Prisons/jails: 12
• Offices/workplaces: 8
• Churches: 7
• Manufacturing facilities: 4
• Day care centers: 3
• Outbreaks were also documented in hospitals/outpatient facilities, hospitals and senior living facilities.

Emerging hotspots

• The agency is seeing growth and/or high transmission in rural middle Georgia, east central Georgia, south Georgia and southwest Georgia. These increases are driven by ongoing community transmission as well as outbreaks.
• A report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates the state has seen a downward trajectory of cases for less than a week now.
• Although Georgia case numbers are decreasing slowly, they are at a very high plateau (magnitudes above where we were in the spring), so this still represents a risk of future increased transmission and even spikes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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