The latest School-Aged COVID-19 Surveillance Report from the Georgia Department of Public Health showed an alarming increase in the case rate among residents of the public school age range of 5-17 years old.

The cases per 100,000 of the population are now at 1,384 for the 14-day period ending December 30, 2021.

The number of cases for that two-week period hit 1,828.

Among the college undergraduate age range (18-22 years old) the rate is even higher, at 2,330 per 100,000 of population.

The case rate among preschoolers was 721 per 100,000 with 338 cases reported.

All three categories tracked in the report, preschool-aged, public school-aged, and college undergraduate aged, are increasing, and all three are well above the numbers designated “high community transmission.”

About the GDPH School Aged COVID-19 Data Report

The documentation for the School-Aged COVID-19 Data Report describes the use of the data as follows:

The data in this report can be used to assess the extent of COVID-19 transmission among preschool/daycare aged children (0-4 years), K-12 school aged children (5-17 years), and college/professional school aged adults (18-22 years) in Georgia. Click on the above tabs to see statewide and county level COVID-19 data. This report is updated weekly. Please consult additional resources to understand trends and other factors affecting your county.

For a complete list of the reports with links, follow this link.

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