May 27: Georgia cases of COVID-19 tapering off, Augusta area sees little change

The number of new people infected with COVID-19 in Georgia saw only a modest increase while the Augusta area was largely unchanged.

There were 700 new cases reported Wednesday to raise the state’s total to 44,638 with 38 new deaths to increase the toll to 1,933, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

In the Augusta area, Richmond County increased 10 cases and reported one new death to total 563 cases and 20 deaths, Columbia County went up eight to 237, Screven County added 15 new cases to 47, Jefferson County added two cases to raise its total to 32, and Jenkins County had one more to 19. Burke County was reported with one less case earlier in the day but two new cases late Wednesday to now 123 and one more death to total five. All other counties remained the same: McDuffie at 65, Wilkes at 33, Warren at 18, Lincoln at 16 and Glascock and Taliaferro at a single case apiece.

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With the new deaths in Richmond and Burke counties, the Augusta area’s toll from COVID-19 stands at 42.

AU Health System reported five new positive cases Wednesday, giving it 681 since its first cases on March 13, with 14 of those patients in the hospital, spokeswoman Christen Engel said. There were also 154 negative tests, raising that total to 12,566 cumulatively, she said.

University Hospital saw two more positive tests, making it 269 since the pandemic began, with 14 being treated in the hospital, spokeswoman Rebecca Sylvester said. University also got 94 negative results to push that total to 2,553, she said.

MedNow Urgent Care saw three more positive results on Wednesday, pushing its cumulative total to 81, CEO Mark Newton said. it has also received 2,084 negative results from 2,336 tests, he said. Its antibody testing has turned up another 21 positives and 663 negatives from 697 tests, Newton said.

Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center saw three more COVID-19 patients, raising its total to 50, although only 12 are active cases in veterans, the U.S. Department of Veterans affairs reported.

Doctors Hospital of Augusta had no new positives to remain at 66 for the year so far, with nine patients in the hospital and another seven awaiting test results, spokesman Peter Moberg said.

Georgia Public Health received the results of 3,646 tests early Wednesday, and eight percent were positive, an increase from the 2.4 percent of positive cases over the weekend, according to an analysis by the Augusta Chronicle. The testing now includes 77,835 blood test for antibodies, the state said. The rate of tests coming back positive since the state began remained at around 8.5 percent. Georgia has now tested just under 4.9 percent of its 10.6 million people.

South Carolina added 207 cases Wednesday to reach 10,623 and saw six more deaths to raise the toll to 452. Three more cases of COVID-19 were detected in Aiken County to raise its total to 184 with seven deaths.

Edgefield County remained the same at 49 cases and two deaths. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has now received results on 178,119 tests, which would cover 3.46 percent of its 5.15 million people. The state has seen 5.85 percent of all of its tests come back positive, including 3.36 percent that were positive on Tuesday, according to a Chronicle analysis.

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A drug that has been shown in preliminary studies to shorten the course of COVID-19 infection will soon be available at two Augusta hospitals.

The Georgia Department of Public Health announced Wednesday that it will be shipping 18,440 vials of remdesivir to Georgia hospitals, a drug that showed in a preliminary trial it could help shorten the course of the illness by 31 percent in some patients.

University Hospital has been told it will receive 21 boxes with 40 vials each on Thursday, which should be enough to treat 75-140 patients, depending on dosing, spokeswoman Rebecca Sylvester said. The actual amount shipped might vary, she noted.

AU Health System, which had received the drug in a previous round of shipments from DPH, said it will receive enough to give 80 patients a full 10-day course of treatment, spokeswoman Christen Engel said.

COVID-19 drug coming to Augusta