Mid September COVID-19 Report

COVID cases in Upson and all of the surrounding counties seem to have peaked the last half of August, and September is welcoming the beginning of a downward slide. Upson’s new confirmed cases declined from an all-time high of 331 in August to 219 the first half of September; 219 is still the third highest half-month case count on record, and a long way from the record low of only 2 cases the first half of June.

Average two-week test positivity in Upson is the highest it’s ever been at 26%. Upson’s case rate for the last 7 days ranks as the #9 highest case rate in the State. Pike County ranks #14, Spalding #25, and Taylor County #26. Upson’s overall case rate per 100,000 people indicates that 1 out of 10 Upson residents have tested positive for COVID-19; if antigen tests are included, that ratio goes up to 1 out of 5.

New hospitalization admissions for Upson residents are down from a record high of 18 the last half of August to only 6 the first half of September. Upson Regional Medical Center reported a daily census of 57 COVID patients at the end of August, and that’s down to 46 for mid-September.

28 deaths were reported for the combined 8-county area, the highest half-month total since early February. A normal lag time of one to three weeks exists between the date of death and the date it is recorded, so we may see even higher death numbers on the Georgia Department of Public Health website over the next few weeks. There are many steps to filling out and submitting a death certificate. Then the death has to be coded. This is usually done electronically; however, for COVID-19, the deaths are reviewed and coded by a person. All of this takes time but ensures that the death count is accurate.

 

New COVID-19 Cases (2021)
COUNTY	Jul 1 - 15	Jul 16 - 31	Aug 1 - 15	Aug 16 - 31	Sep 1 - 15
Upson	4	33	142	331	219
Pike	12	48	103	264	202
Lamar	10	56	220	312	159
Monroe	18	42	162	259	194
Crawford	5	19	59	78	76
Taylor	3	6	26	96	56
Talbot	0	11	32	47	38
Meriwether	4	39	110	168	153
Spalding	22	144	362	739	700
Source: GA Dept of Public Health Daily Reports