COVID Deaths Exceed 20,000

The death toll in Georgia from COVID-19 now exceeds 20,000 people as cases continue to surge across the state, primarily among the unvaccinated.

The Georgia Department of Health reported Friday that 20,041 have died of the virus since the start of the pandemic, including 106 deaths reported Friday. The state reported 9,119 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, the third highest total of new cases in a 24-hour period since the pandemic began.

Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D., M.P.H., Georgia Department of Public Health commissioner said, “It is tragic but not surprising that we have surpassed this grim milestone of 20,000 COVID deaths in our state. Ninety seven percent of COVID deaths since we’ve had the vaccine are in unvaccinated individuals. These deaths are preventable.”

Over 6,000 patients are currently hospitalized with the coronavirus this week, more than at any other time during the pandemic, the previous record was 5,700. COVID-19 patients make up nearly 34% of people hospitalized in Georgia.

As of today at URMC, 93.5% of the 51 COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated, the average age is 57.