July 30: Georgia adds over 4,000 COVID-19 cases but fewer deaths, Augusta tops 130 new cases

Georgia was again over 4,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday but with far fewer deaths as Augusta again saw a big increase with more than 130 new cases and every surrounding county had an increase.

Georgia had 4,045 new cases to reach 182,286 with 29 new deaths for 3,671, the Department of Public Health reported. Richmond County added 134 cases for 3,334, Columbia County saw 50 more for 1,739, Jefferson County had six more for 400 and Burke County added eight for 380.

McDuffie County was up 11 for 272, Jenkins County added a half-dozen for 223, Wilkes had a single new case for 169, Screven County saw four more for 165, Lincoln County added two for 117, Warren County had four more for 50, Glascock County saw two more for 21 and Taliaferro County also added two for nine.

There was one new death in Jenkins County for now 20 there and the Augusta area toll stands at 153.

Georgia Public Health reported the results of 31,249 tests, of which 12.94% were positive, slightly above the overall rate of 10.35%, according to analysis by the Augusta Chronicle.

AU Health System saw its biggest increase this week with 172 new cases to now 4,066 since its first cases in March, with 71 being treated in the hospital, spokeswoman Christen Engel said.

After an initial dip in the number of patients being treated at University Hospital, “our optimism was short-lived, as today we have increased to 92 COVID-19 confirmed inpatients,” up from 85 the day before, spokeswoman Rebecca Sylvester said. The hospital got 34 new cases to reach 1,117 since the pandemic began, she said.

Doctors Hospital of Augusta saw two new cases for 194 total with 34 patients being treated in the hospital, spokesman Kaden Jacobs said.

Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center had four new cases for 274 total, with 77 active cases among 68 veterans, six staff and three unspecified, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

South Carolina saw 1,694 new cases to reach 87,117, with 49 new deaths for a toll of 1,600, the Department of Health and Environmental Control reported. Aiken County was up 31 cases to 1,377 with 20 deaths and Edgefield County had four new cases for 256 with five deaths.

The state got the results of 11,049 tests, of which 15.33 percent were positive, well above the overall average of 11.69 percent overall, according to analysis.

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