Georgia Department of Public Health reporting glitch fixed; COVID numbers not looking good

an electron microscope view of the virus that caused COVID. a circular area dotted with round spotsThin section electron microscopic image of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. Spherical virus particles contain black dots, which are cross-sections through the viral nucleocapsid. In the cytoplasm of the infected cell, clusters of particles are found within the membrane-bound cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi area. Photo credit: Cynthia S Goldsmith and Azaibi Tamin; CDC

After the COVID figures for Georgia and Cobb County have not been available since before New Year’s Day, the CDC’s tracking numbers for Cobb County (which they get from the Geortia Department of Public Health) do not look good. To read the CDC County View figures for Cobb County in full, follow this link.

There was a one-week increase of 108.43 percent in new cases, an increase of 11.57 percent in positivity rate, an increase in the death rate of 42.86 percent, and a 132.48 percent increase in hospitalizations.

Cases108.43%
% Positivity11.57%
Deaths42.86%
% of population ≥ 5 years of age fully vaccinatedfollow this linkN/A
New Hospital Admissions132.48%

Here is the table of numbers for the past week:

Cases10,359
Case Rate per 100k1,362.77
% Positivity37.23%
Deaths10
% of population ≥ 5 years of age fully vaccinated45.1%
New Hospital Admissions365

The CDC does not report death numbers of fewer than 10 for the one-week period, and this week we reached that threshold.

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Cobb & Douglas Public Health, which calculates the case rate per 100,000 on a 14-day basis instead of the seven days that the CDC uses, reported a case rate of 1,975 cases per 100,000 of population.

These are the hospital capacity numbers reported for Hospital Region N in the Hospital Bed and Ventilator Use report (Region N includes Cherokee, Cobb, Douglas and Paulding counties):

Region N has 1,269 general inpatient beds in use out of 1,402 total beds, or 90.51%

Region N has 192 ICU beds in use out of a total of 201 total ICU beds, or 95.52%.

Region N has 335 ED beds in use out of 355 total beds, or 94.37%

Region N has 100 ventilators in use out of 172 total ventilators, or 58.14%

And from the Medical Facility Patient Census:

39.2% of patients in Region N are classified as COVID-19 patients.

For state and Cobb County data:

Cobb & Douglas Public Health runs the case rate on their home page, although it is not updated frequently.

Visit the Cobb & Douglas Public Health home page by following this link

A more frequently updated summary of the statistics on COVID for Cobb County is the CDC’s County View page for Cobb County. The numbers come from the Georgia Department of Public Health but are displayed in a much easier-to-read way than the sprawling GDPH website. From this page you can get the one-week figures on the number of new cases, case rate per 100,000 of population, hospitalizations, deaths, and the percentage change from the previous 7-day period. It also includes data on testing and vaccination rates.

Visit the CDC County View page for Cobb County by following this link

The Georgia Department of Public Health publishes a daily status report on the pandemic every afternoon at around 3 p.m. It’s a comprehensive report with extensive data and charts arranged statewide and by county, that also includes age breakdowns, racial demographics, and data on vaccination and testing.

It isn’t the easiest system to navigate, but it’s worth spending time learning how to use if you’re interested in getting the latest statewide and local data on the state of COVID-19.

Visit the Georgia Department of Public Health Daily Status Report by following this link

To get an overview of how much the pandemic is stressing the hospital systems in terms of ER visits, hospital bed capacity, and ventilator use, there is a Hospital Bed and Ventilator Use report with interactive maps. The map is organized by hospital region, and Cobb County is part of Region N.

Visit the Georgia Hospital Beds and Ventilator Report by following this link

To get data on what percentage of patients in Georgia hospitals were admitted for COVID-19 versus all other causes, there is a Georgia Medical Facility Patient Census. It also reports numbers by statewide and hospital region.

Visit the Georgia Medical Facility Patient Census by following this link

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