GA Passes 500K Coronavirus Cases, Jimmy Carter To Get Vaccine

ATLANTA, GA — Georgia passed two milestones Friday: more than 500,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far, as well as more than 7,000 admissions total to intensive care units.

Georgia also set a one-day record Friday of 6,149 new COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours. The previous one-day record for new COVID-19 cases was 6,115, set on Dec. 10.

Less than 24 hours earlier, the Carter Center had announced that former President Jimmy Carter will receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

“After consulting with his doctors, President Carter is looking forward to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine when it is available to him,” said the statement, tweeted Thursday night.

Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, said earlier this month that they “are in full support of COVID-19 vaccine efforts and encourage everyone who is eligible to get immunized."

Carter, 96, joins former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama in promising to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Vice President Mike Pence received his vaccination on national TV Friday morning, but it’s unclear whether President Donald Trump will be vaccinated. He and first lady Melania Trump contracted and recovered from COVID-19 in October.

Georgia Coronavirus Numbers For Dec. 18

The Georgia Department of Public Health in Atlanta reported a total of 500,265 confirmed cases of COVID-19 at 2:50 p.m. Friday. According to the health department’s website, that includes 6,149 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the last 24 hours. In addition, Georgia reported 2,342 new antigen-positive cases over the last 24 hours, which are considered to be probable cases of COVID-19.

Georgia has reported 9,396 deaths so far from COVID-19, with 38 more confirmed deaths recorded in the last 24 hours. Georgia also reported 936 probable deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic began. These probable deaths include fatalities with indirect evidence of COVID-19.

Georgia reported 39,064 hospitalizations — 346 more than the day before — and 7,009 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 and Gwinnett County close behind it. All top-10 counties, most of them in metro Atlanta, experienced triple-digit increases. These statistics do not include antigen-positive cases.

1. Fulton County: 44,811 cases — 556 new
2. Gwinnett County: 44,703 cases — 501 new
3. Cobb County: 32,016 cases — 451 new
4. DeKalb County: 31,046 cases — 330 new
5. Hall County: 15,306 cases — 290 new
6. Chatham County: 11,844 — 126 new
7. Clayton County: 11,841 — 126 new
8. Richmond County: 11,383 — 104 new
9. Cherokee County: 10,989 — 162 new
10. Whitfield County: 9,589 — 165 new

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

1. Fulton County: 717 deaths — 3 new
2. Gwinnett County: 535 deaths —2 new
3. Cobb County: 527 deaths — 2 new
4. DeKalb County: 467 deaths — 1 new
5. Bibb County: 233 deaths — 3 new
6. Chatham County: 219 deaths — 2 new
7. Richmond County: 210 deaths
8. Clayton County: 207 deaths — 2 new
9. Hall County: 204 deaths
10. Dougherty County: 200 deaths

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

Globally, more than 75.4 million people have tested positive for COVID-19, and nearly 1.7 million people have died from it, Johns Hopkins University reported Friday.

In the United States, more than 17.3 million people have been infected and more than 312,000 people have died from COVID-19 as of Friday. The U.S. has only about 4 percent of the world's population but more confirmed cases and deaths than any other country.

Statement from The Carter Center:

After consulting with his doctors, President Carter is looking forward to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine when it is available to him.

See our previous COVID-19 statement here: https://t.co/j4vj0wZ3yf
— The Carter Center (@CarterCenter) December 17, 2020

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