Health & Fitness

GA Coronavirus Update: 17K People Test Positive, 650 Deaths

As of Friday at noon, 650 people have died in Georgia from coronavirus, and more than 17,000 people have tested positive.

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GEORGIA — The state is increasing testing statewide as Georgia reaches 17,000 people testing positive for coronavirus as of Friday at noon, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

As of Friday at noon, there have been 650 deaths, 17,194 cases, and 3,324 hospitalizations in Georgia. Deaths make up 3.78 percent of Georgia cases. From the numbers released at noon on Thursday, this is an increase of 1,525 cases, 216 hospitalizations and 63 deaths.

Fulton County still has recorded the most coronavirus cases thus far, with 2,025 cases and 73 deaths. Dougherty County in southwest Georgia, where Albany is the site of the state's worst hotspot, is second with 1,381 cases but has recorded the most deaths with 91, more than any other Georgia county.

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The other counties in the top 10 include DeKalb, with 1,349 cases and 23 deaths; Cobb, with 1,072 cases and 51 deaths; Gwinnett, with 1,017 cases and 36 deaths; Hall, with 563 cases and six deaths; Clayton, with 491 cases and 14 deaths; Henry, with 344 cases and five deaths; Sumter, with 302 cases and 14 deaths; and Lee, with 269 cases and 15 deaths. Glascock and Taliaferro are the only counties to report no coronavirus cases.

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The Georgia Department of Public Health Lab has tested 4,616 people for coronavirus, with 930 positive. Commercial laboratories have tested 67,068 people with 16,264 positive.

The Georgia Department of Public Health is increasing the number of specimen collection sites statewide for coronavirus testing, and is revising the current testing criteria to handle more testing of Georgia residents.

Effective immediately, all residents who show signs of the coronavirus will be eligible for testing. Health-care workers, first responders, law enforcement and long-term care facility residents and staff will still be prioritized for testing regardless of whether they are or are not symptomatic.

According to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, there have been more than 672,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States and 56,000 of those have already recovered, as of Friday morning. However, there have also been 33,000 deaths. Worldwide there are more than 2.2 million cases and 147,000 deaths.

County updates:

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