MACON, Ga. — Not only is Georgia seeing more cases than during the surge last summer, but cases are climbing at a faster rate, too.
Georgia's average hit just shy of 5,000 new cases a day in the state's two-week preliminary window. The state is still getting test results back from the last two weeks, so that number will likely go up.
Right now, it's 20x higher than two months ago when numbers bottomed out at less than 250 new cases a day.
In July 2020, the state topped out just below 4,700 cases. That was up from 550 cases two months before.
Bibb County has one of the highest spread rates in Central Georgia, averaging 122 new cases a day within the preliminary window. That's already above the 114 new cases a day in July 2020.
It's also creeping closer to the height of the pandemic in January when Bibb saw 160 cases a day.
Houston County averages 104 new cases a day. Just a month ago, it was two. It's already almost double the average from July 2020, though Houston did have a smaller peak than many other counties.
Treutlen County actually has the highest spread rate in Central Georgia for the last two weeks, and their average now sits very close to the peak in January.
Laurens and Wilkinson counties also have some of the highest spread rates in central Georgia.
Meanwhile, hospitals across the state are filling up.
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency reports close to 90% of the state's ICU beds are full.
Georgia is averaging more than 140 new patients a day. That's 3x higher than three weeks ago and the highest since March.
The death toll continues to rise as well. On average,13 people die a day. That's almost 3x higher than a month ago.
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