MACON, Ga. — After the Omicron surge, Georgia hit its peak case count in early January and numbers have fallen pretty quickly ever since.
Right before the state's two-week preliminary data window, Georgia averaged 1,947 new cases a day. That's a major improvement from more than 23,000 at the start of the year. Georgia's average is still a little more than twice as high as in late November before cases started climbing. The average at that time sat below 850 new cases a day.
Central Georgia counties are seeing big improvements as well. Before the preliminary data window, Bibb County averaged 21 new cases a day. A little over a month before that, Bibb peaked at more than 360 new cases. Before the latest surge though, Bibb averaged just five new cases a day.
Houston County's case numbers have followed the same trends as Bibb throughout the last surge, though slightly higher. Houston averaged 27 new cases a day before the preliminary window. That's down from more than 390 at the peak in early January. Houston also averaged just five new cases a day before the latest surge.
Fewer Georgians are dying from the virus. Before the preliminary window, an average of 42 people died a day in the state. That's down from 76 deaths at the peak two weeks before. Back in mid-December, the state averaged just 11 deaths a day.
Georgia hospitals continue to see relief when it comes to COVID-19 patients. Right now, the state averages 137 new patients a day. That is a level Georgia has not seen since mid-December. By the middle of last month, hospitalizations reached 380 new patients a day.