COVID continues its brutal march through Cobb County, as we’ve now reached 771 cases per 100,000 of population over a 14-day period. 100 cases per 100,000 is considered high transmission.

[Correction: an earlier version of this article stated that a rate per 771 cases per 100,000 of population is 7.71 the threshold for high community transmission. While cases are reported in 14-day blocks the transmission category is calculated using 7-day blocks, so the multiple would be roughly half the 7.71, depending on the numbers for the week in question. We regret the error]

Hospital bed capacity

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health Region N, which includes Cherokee, Cobb, Douglas, and Paulding counties  has 1,230 general inpatient beds in use out of 1,349 total beds, so we’re at  91.18 percent of capacity

The region has 187 ICU beds in use out of a total of 207 total ICU beds, or 90.34 of capacity.

Region N has 262 ED beds in use out of 300 total beds, or 87.33 of capacity.

Wellstar’s COVID report

Meanwhile Wellstar Health System’s COVID report continues to confirm that vaccination is effective in reducing the symptoms of the disease in most cases.

637 patients in its system were hospitalized in Wellstar hospitals, 91 percent of those unvaccinated.

138 COVID patients are in their ICU, 96 percent of them unvaccinated.

91 patients in Wellstar hospitals are on ventilators, 95 percent of them unvaccinated.

School Age COVID-19 Surveillance Report

The weekly School Aged COVID-19 Surveillance Report dated August 20 shows increases in the 0-4 years old age group, and the 5-17 year old age group.

College aged (18-22 years old) showed less that a 5 percent change, but the case rate was still in the high transmission range, at 525 cases per 100,000 of population.

Among the 0-4 year old preschool group there were 125 cases over the past 14 days for a case rate of 257 per 100,000 of population, or 2.57 times the threshold for high community transmission.

5-17 years old, or elementary, middle, and high school age, showed 843 cases for a case rate of 638 per 100,000 of the population.

Cobb County’s cumulative figures

According to the Georgia Department of Health’s Daily COVID-19 Status Report, Cobb has had 70,406 confirmed cases since the pandemic began, along with 3,761 hospitalizations and 1,068 deaths.

The GDPH puts Cobb’s 14-day total of confirmed cases at 4,217.

Statewide figures as of yesterday

As of yesterday afternoon Georgia’s total cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began stood at 1,041,512. Confirmed deaths are 19,275. 71,152 people have been hospitalized. There have been 11,836 ICU admissions. And 3,034 deaths, while not confirmed as COVID-related, were probably due to the disease.