GA Coronavirus Record High May Be Start Of 'Thanksgiving Surge'

ATLANTA, GA — While Georgia’s coronavirus statistics often fluctuate depending on when they’re reported — weekend numbers are lower, and midweek numbers rise because of backlogs — Friday’s record-setting number of new infections was not an anomaly.

Friday’s “COVID-19 numbers do not include backlogs of any significance,” Georgia health department spokesperson Nancy Nydam told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “What we are seeing is a surge in COVID-19 cases statewide.”

Georgia reported 5,023 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday, the biggest single-day total since the pandemic began. The previous high was 4,782, recorded on July 24 during the summer surge.

Saturday’s numbers were a bit lower: 3,749 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the last 24 hours. However, the numbers will probably get worse over time before they get better.

“It’s possible that we’re seeing the beginning of the Thanksgiving surge, especially if people traveled or began gathering ahead of Thanksgiving Day,” Nydam said to the Atlanta newspaper. “However, we know there is widespread community transmission of COVID-19 statewide and throughout the country.”

GEORGIA CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS FOR DEC. 5, 2020

The Georgia Department of Public Health in Atlanta reported a total of 442,017 confirmed cases of COVID-19 at 2:50 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. According to the health department’s website, that includes 3,749 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the last 24 hours. In addition, Georgia reported 1,418 new antigen-positive cases over the last 24 hours, which are considered to be probable cases of COVID-19.

Georgia has reported 8,969 deaths so far from COVID-19, with 48 more confirmed deaths recorded in the last 24 hours. Georgia also reported 824 probable deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic began. These probable deaths include fatalities with indirect evidence of COVID-19.

Georgia reported 36,001 hospitalizations — 218 more than the day before — and 6,671 admissions so far to intensive-care units.

No information is available from Georgia about how many patients have recovered.

Counties in or near metro Atlanta and other metropolitan areas continue to have the highest number of COVID-19 positives, with Fulton County still in the lead. Seven the top 10 counties — five in metro Atlanta, one in Augusta and one in Dalton — posted triple-digit increases. These statistics do not include antigen-positive cases.

1. Fulton County: 39,337 cases — 336 new
2. Gwinnett County: 38,784 cases — 350 new
3. Cobb County: 27,833 cases — 231 new
4. DeKalb County: 27,419 cases — 274 new
5. Hall County: 13,133 cases — 166 new
6. Chatham County: 10,926 — 58 new
7. Clayton County: 10,299 — 86 new
8. Richmond County: 10,012 — 115 new
9. Cherokee County: 9,680 — 76 new
10. Whitfield County: 8,160 — 116 new

Counties in or near metro Atlanta also continue to have the most deaths from COVID-19.

1. Fulton County: 683 deaths — 6 new
2. Gwinnett County: 513 deaths — 3 new
3. Cobb County: 502 deaths
4. DeKalb County: 449 deaths — 4 new
5. Bibb County: 223 deaths
6. Chatham County: 204 deaths — 1 new
7. Richmond County: 200 deaths — 3 new
8. Hall County: 199 deaths
9. Dougherty County: 199 deaths
10. Clayton County: 198 deaths — 1 new

All Georgia statistics are available on the state's COVID-19 website.

Globally, more than 66.2 million people have tested positive for COVID-19, and more than 1.5 million people have died from it, Johns Hopkins University reported Saturday.

In the United States, more than 14.4 million people have been infected and more than 280,000 people have died from COVID-19 as of Saturday. The U.S. has only about 4 percent of the world's population but more confirmed cases and deaths than any other country.

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