AUGUSTA, Ga. – New COVID-19 infections crept up Tuesday in Georgia but deaths stayed low for both Georgia and South Carolina with less than a dozen between them, including none in the Aiken or Augusta areas.
Georgia added 927 new cases to reach 870,517 with nine new deaths for 17,250, the Department of Public Health reported.
Richmond County saw 14 more for 19,630 total and was the only area county to see more than 10 new cases. Some area counties had seven or fewer new cases: seven in Columbia for 10,936, two in Burke for 1,758, four in McDuffie for 1,646, and one in Warren for 372. All other area counties were unchanged: Jefferson at 1,573, Screven at 808, Jenkins at 723, Wilkes at 668, Lincoln at 506, Glascock at 144 and Taliaferro at 100.
With no new deaths, the area’s toll stayed at 1,029.
Georgia Public Health got the results of 11,762 tests, of which 7.88% were positive, well below the overall rate of 10.08%, which remained unchanged for a third straight day, according to an analysis by the Augusta Chronicle. The seven-day average for new cases fell from 981.43 to 957.57, the analysis showed.
Georgia had administered 5,429,851 of the 6,234,605 doses it had received as of Tuesday, or 87.09%, Chronicle analysis found. The state was averaging 50,261 shots a day through Tuesday, the analysis showed.
University Hospital was back up to 17 COVID-19 inpatients, six more than Monday, spokeswoman Rebecca Sylvester said, approaching its high from last week of 21.
AU Health System went up one to 18 patients in the hospital and saw seven new positive tests for 26,447 since the pandemic began, spokeswoman Christen Engel said.
Doctors Hospital of Augusta was up two more to 13 being treated in the hospital and had two more cases for 793 total, spokesman Kaden Jacobs said.
Among the three Augusta hospitals, the 48 COVID-19 inpatients topped the high of last week and was the highest total for hospitalized patients since March 12 when it was also 48, Chronicle analysis showed.
Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta saw two more cases for 1,856 total, including 23 active cases among 21 veterans and two staff, with one new death for 91 total, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The Augusta VA has fully vaccinated 16,479 between 14,640 veterans, 1,838 employees and one person from Fort Gordon.South Carolina added 383 new cases, its lowest total since March 30, to reach 476,506 with two new deaths for 8,237, the Department of Health and Environmental Control reported. Aiken County saw three new cases for 12,689 and Edgefield County had one more for 2,538. Neither county had a new death so they remained at 176 and 29 respectively.
The state got the results of 10,728 tests, of which 3.57% were positive, nearly half the overall rate of 6.62%, which fell slightly, Chronicle analysis found. The seven-day average for new cases also dropped from 545 to 531, according to the analysis.
