Georgia suffered 78 new deaths for a toll of 15,784 with 1,209 new cases to reach 832,480, the Department of Public Health reported.
Richmond County had 14 new cases for 18,912 total and Columbia County added 10 for 10,641. Other area counties had five or fewer new cases: five in Burke for 1,694, two in McDuffie for 1,590, one in Jefferson for 1,546, two in Jenkins for 705, one in Wilkes for 658 and two in Taliaferro for 98. All other counties were unchanged: Screven at 789, Lincoln at 492, Warren at 363, and Glascock at 139.
Richmond County suffered four new deaths for 369, and with a death in Edgefield County, raised the area’s toll to 962.
Georgia Public Health got the results of 24,781 tests, of which 4.88% were positive, less than half the overall rate of 10.51%, which dropped slightly, according to an analysis by the Augusta Chronicle. The seven-day average continued to drop, from 1,353.14 to 1,096.57, a level it has not reached June 21, the analysis found.
Georgia had administered 2,540,760 of the 3,336,655 doses it had received as of Thursday, or 76.15%. Georgia was averaging 39,975 shots a day through Thursday, Chronicle analysis found.
University Hospital ticked back up one to 18 COVID-19 inpatients after discharging two and admitting three, spokeswoman Rebecca Sylvester said.
AU Health System remained at eight patients in the hospital and added 16 new positive tests for 25,694 since the pandemic began, spokeswoman Christen Engel said.
Doctors Hospital of Augusta added two to reach 19 patients being treated in the hospital Thursday, with two new cases for 757 total, spokesman Kaden Jacobs said.
Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta added three new cases for 1,768 total, with 34 active cases among 31 veterans and three others, and remained at 85 deaths, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The Augusta VA has vaccinated 12,234, with 7,316 who have received both doses.
South Carolina suffered 35 new deaths for a toll of 7,803 with 407 new cases to reach 452,004, the Department of Health and Environmental Control reported.
Aiken County had 11 new cases and remained at 171 deaths and Edgefield County saw one new case for 2,428 with one new death for 27.
The state got the results of 22,640 new tests, of which 1.8% were positive, far below the overall average of 7.24%, which declined slightly, Chronicle analysis found. The seven-day average dropped from 645 to 533, a level it had not reached since Oct. 5, according to the analysis.
