Georgia falls just shy of single-day record high for new COVID-19 cases as omicron surge continues
ATLANTA - Tuesday's COVID-19 numbers in Georgia fall just short of setting the all-time single-day record for new cases, according to data released by the Georgia Department of Public Health.
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Just over 13,000 new PCR and antigen cases were added on Tuesday, the GDPH. That is just over 250 shy of the record of 13,296 that was set on Jan. 8. Several experts have said they believe that number could be broken with the omicron variant behind this latest surge.
The 7-day average for cases is just shy of 9,500. The 7-day average for PCR positive tests has exceeded 20% after spending the last 5 days in double digits. That is a rate not seen since January, according to data provided by GDPH.
The climbing number of virus cases is forcing changes in plans. The city of Atlanta announced it was canceling the New Year’s Eve Peach Drop at the Underground Atlanta complex downtown, the third year in a row that the event won’t be held.
Hospitalization continues to see a sharp increase with the number of COVID-19 patients nearly doubling in the past week.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 25 Atlanta-area emergency rooms were turning away ambulances, while only six ERs at hospitals caring for adults were receiving them, according to state data. Among those turning away emergency medical transports were the flagship hospitals of three of the area’s four major hospital systems: Emory, Piedmont and Northside.
Officials are urging people who need testing not to tie up emergency rooms, but to instead seek out testing sites and pharmacies.
The 7-day average for single-day deaths from COVID-19 is just under 30, the GDPH. That is a number that has not dropped into single digits since the end of July and has claimed the lives of more than 9,600 people during that time.
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Testing demand is the highest it has been since September, according to GDPH data, with the 7-day average now at 37,000 PCR tests per day.
The latest wave of COVID-19 has done little to move the needle on new vaccinations. There were just over 38,000 fewer shots given over the last week than during the previous week and nearly 45,000 less than the week prior, according to GDPH data. Georgia remains the 6th lowest state for fully vaccinated individuals with just over 54% of those eligible having been fully vaccinated.