Aug. 5: Georgia COVID-19 case levels climb again, Augusta-area cases continue to mount

After a moderate start to the week, new cases of COVID-19 in Georgia were climbing back toward 4,000 as all but one Augusta area county saw new infections.

Georgia added 3,765 new cases to reach 201,713 with 63 new deaths for a toll of 3,984, the Department of Public Health reported. Richmond County shot up 81 new cases to hit 3,921, Columbia County added 42 for 2,050, Jefferson County had two more for 460, Burke County saw three more for 427 and McDuffie County added five for 306.

Jenkins County had four more for 235, Wilkes County saw two more for 182, Lincoln County added a case for 130, Warren County had four more for 60 and Glascock County had one new case for 24. Only Taliaferro County remained unchanged at 12.

Richmond County suffered three more deaths for 87 total and Jenkins County had two more for 24, leaving the area’s toll at 173.

Georgia Public Health got the results of 33,080 tests, of which 11.38% were positive, slightly above the overall average of 10.47%, which has been very slowly rising in recent days, according to analysis by the Augusta Chronicle.

AU Health System added another 147 cases to now have 5,007 since its first cases in March, with 78 being treated in the hospital, a new record for the facility, spokeswoman Christen Engel said.

University Hospital had nine new cases for a total of 1,187 since the pandemic began, with again 83 patients being treated in the hospital, spokeswoman Rebecca Sylvester said.

Doctors Hospital of Augusta added two new cases for 218 total with 35 being treated in the hospital, unchanged from Tuesday, spokesman Kaden Jacobs said.

Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center saw three new cases for 312 total, with 67 active cases among 62 veterans, three employees and two unspecified, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

South Carolina added 1,233 new cases for 94,837, with 45 new deaths for 1,819, the Department of Health and Environmental Control reported. Aiken County saw 52 new cases for 1,592 with two new deaths for 26 while Edgefield County had three new cases for 287 with five deaths total.

The state got the results of 8,324 tests, of which 14.81% were positive, well above the overall percentage of 11.79%, which also has been slowly rising in recent days, according to analysis.

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