Georgia currently has the highest COVID-19 positivity rate than at any other time during the pandemic. The 7-day average positivity rate was 23% Monday, up from 4.7% on Dec. 1.
The last time the positivity rate was this high was on April 2, 2020, when Gov. Brian Kemp ordered a shelter in place for the state. The Georgia Department of Health also reported the 2nd-highest number of new cases since the pandemic began on Christmas Day, with 10,044 new cases reported. Jan. 8, 2021 still holds the record for the highest number of cases reported at 10,165.
Cases of COVID-19 are currently rising at the highest rate among the unvaccinated. More than 12,504 new cases were reported in unvaccinated people the week of Dec. 18. By comparison, around 5,300 new cases were reported among people who had gotten two shots of the COVID-19 vaccine and 504 cases were reported among people who have had their booster shots.
Last week, 379 people who were not vaccinated were hospitalized with the virus, while 95 people who were fully vaccinated were hospitalized and 5 who received the booster shot were hospitalized.
Only 52.4% of Georgians have been fully vaccinated against the virus.
Georgia could see more than 15,000 daily cases of COVID-19 two weeks from now, according to a COVID-19 case prediction model created by the Mayo Clinic.
It’s unclear if the omicron strain is as deadly as the delta variant, which fueled a devastating surge in Georgia in the summer. That surge saw hospitals across the state exceed capacity and more than 9,000 people die across the state.
COVID-19 testing sites were packed Monday as people waited more than four hours for testing at some sites in metro Atlanta.
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