Omicron variant continues to set new case records in Georgia
Cobb County health officials saw long lines for testing for the second week at their makeshift facility in the old Brandsmart located along Busbee Drive in Kennesaw on Jan. 4, 2021.
ATLANTA - Georgia's 7-day average for new COVID-19 cases tops 18,000 for the first time ever this week as the more contagious omicron variant continues to spread, according to data provided by the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Monday's numbers from the GDPH were not available due to data issues, but averaging the cases between the last four days since the last release on New Year's Eve shows a daily growth of just over 16,000 for both PCR and antigen cases, still very much in record-breaking territory for the pandemic.
The PCR positivity rate, which climbed above 30 the day before New Year's Eve is now above 32%, according to the GDPH data.
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Cobb County health officials saw long lines for testing for the second week at their makeshift facility in the old Brandsmart located along Busbee Drive in Kennesaw on Jan. 4, 2021. (FOX 5)
Demand for testing is at the highest it has been during the entire pandemic. The 7-day average for new COVID-19 tests is just above 49,000, setting a new recording according to GDPH data.
To find the locations and times as well as to schedule an appointment for a routine COVID-19 test, visit the Georgia Department of Public Health) website at dph.georgia.gov/covidtesting.
Hospitalizations continue to climb but are still below the peak during the August and September delta wave. Current hospitalizations as of Tuesday afternoon were just below 4,000, the GDPH reported.
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Although 18 Atlanta-area emergency rooms were turning away ambulances Tuesday afternoon, that number was lower than last week. However, hospitals in Macon and Augusta were showing strain, turning away inbound ambulances and new intensive care patients. About 84% of all intensive care beds were in use statewide Tuesday.
"We are seeing the explosive growth in COVID infections and hospitalizations that we anticipated in southwest Georgia and throughout the state," said Scott Steiner, CEO of Albany-based Phoebe Putney Health System. "The current transmission rate is clearly outpacing anything we have been through in previous surges."
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Deaths from COVID-19 also relatively remain low compared to the last wave, but as it has been with all waves in this pandemic, it has been the last of the statistics to spike at the end of a wave.
The recent spike has done little to sway people to get the vaccine, in fact, the number of shots administered have slowed, according to GDPH data. New vaccinations administered have seen a less than 2% growth in the last week and fully vaccinated individuals have had less than 1% growth. In the last month, there has only been a 3.6% growth in the number of those fully vaccinated. Georgia remains the 6th lowest state for fully vaccinated individuals with just over 54% of those eligible having been fully vaccinated.
To find a COVID-19 vaccination location, visit dph.georgia.gov/covid-vaccine.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report