MACON, Ga. — Georgia is finally seeing average daily case counts stay in the hundreds instead of thousands.
Right before the preliminary window, Georgia averaged just shy of 800 new cases a day. Numbers haven't been that low since early July, and it is a big improvement from the peak of close to 10,000 cases a day in August.
The state is still counting test results from the last two weeks, so tallies within the preliminary window typically go up some, but right now there aren't any signs that cases will start to climb.
This time last year, cases were climbing in the state and continued to surge through the holidays. At the start of November last year, Georgia averaged more than 2,000 cases a day which is two and a half times higher than numbers right now.
Bibb County did show a small uptick in cases in late October, but it looks like that is now over and case numbers are headed back down. Right before the preliminary window, Bibb averaged eight new cases a day, getting closer to the low of just three cases a day reported in June. This time last year ,Bibb averaged 21 new cases a day.
Houston County is now starting to see a rise in cases that starts in late October and continues throughout the entire preliminary window. It is not a sharp increase, rising from around nine new cases a day to 10 before the preliminary window. It will take a week or so to see how significant the increase is as the state continues to tally test results from the last two weeks. Cases are still about a third of what they were this time last year at 28 new cases a day.
A few other counties like Baldwin, Monroe, and Twiggs also show increases within their preliminary windows.
Meanwhile, Georgia's daily death toll is a little more than half of what it was this time last year. Before the preliminary window, 16 Georgians died a day on average. That is compared to 28 in November 2020. At the latest peak in early September, about 114 Georgians died a day.
Hospitalizations are down to the lowest they've been since early August. Right now the state averages 115 new patients a day. It was close to 300 in late September.