COVID-19 Trends

General Use of this Report

The data in this report can be used to assess the extent of COVID-19 community transmission and recent trends by age group or county. Click on the above tabs to see statewide and county level data about COVID-19 cases, emergency department visits, and laboratory testing data trends. See the data description below for an explanation of the data in each tab. This report is updated weekly on Thursdays.

Due to variations in the availability of testing, test-seeking behavior, local outbreaks, and widespread testing in congregate living settings, these data may not accurately represent true community transmission. Instead, these data should be considered alongside additional factors affecting the community and in consultation with District Public Health, who can provide more guidance about the scenario in your county. Data in this report may not match data in the Georgia DPH COVID-19 Status Report. This report is produced weekly and is static. Daily case counts may change as previously reported cases may be removed as duplicate reports are corrected or may be reclassified as additional information is collected during case investigation.

Please consult additional resources to understand trends and other factors affecting your county.

Additional information by age group, including county-level case rates and vaccination rates over time, can be found here: https://chhs-gt.shinyapps.io/age_dashboard
Additional county level trends can be seen by selecting individual counties in the COVID-19 Cases Over Time graph found here: https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-status-report
Information about breakthrough cases and reinfection cases can be found here: https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-breakthrough-and-total-infections-reports
County level health equity data can be found here: https://covid19.emory.edu/Georgia
The Georgia Geospatial Information office has a COVID-19 data hub which includes county level demographic data, regional COVID-19 hospital census and hospital capacity data, maps for social distancing and mobility, maps for vulnerable populations including a COVID-19 impact planning report, and maps for business and unemployment available here: https://covid-hub.gio.georgia.gov/
Surveillance of other influenza-like illness syndromes can be found in the weekly Influenza Activity Report available here: https://dph.georgia.gov/flu-activity-georgia

Please send any questions regarding this report to contactpublichealth@dph.ga.gov.

Note: Some data may not be displayed correctly using Internet Explorer. Use another browser if that’s the case.

Data Description

These tabs display trends in COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospitalizations over time for different age groups. The Cases tab additionally displays trends in outbreaks over time across the state.

COVID-related counts are based on data available in the State Electronic Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (SendSS) as of March 23rd, 2023. Only cases, deaths, and hospitalizations reported between 02/01/2020 and 03/19/2023 are included. Total population counts are taken from the 2020 OASIS Single Year of Age dataset. Data in these tabs are statewide, i.e. inclusive of all data collected within Georgia including from those with an out-of-state or unknown residence address. Data from persons with unknown age are excluded.

Cases

COVID-19 cases include both confirmed cases and antigen positive cases. Cases can be sequenced by date reported or symptom onset. Cases are reported through multiple sources including electronic lab reporting (ELR), direct entry into SendSS, faxed case reports, and calls from providers to DPH. Only the first infection of each individual is included.

Confirmed Case: individual with a positive molecular test
Antigen Positive Case: individual with a positive antigen test
Date Reported: date the individual was marked as a confirmed case or as a probable case
Symptom Onset: date of symptom onset (date of positive specimen collection is used if symptom onset date is missing)

Deaths

COVID-19 deaths include both confirmed deaths and probable deaths. Death plots therefore may appear different from those displayed on the Georgia DPH COVID-19 Status Report (https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-status-report), which only shows confirmed deaths. Deaths can be sequenced by date reported or date of death.

Confirmed Death: confirmed case that was either reported to DPH as deceased by healthcare providers or medical examiners/coroners, identified by death certificates with COVID-19 indicated as the cause of death, or there is evidence that COVID-19 contributed to the individual’s death
Probable Death: probable case that was either reported to DPH as deceased by healthcare providers or medical examiners/coroners, identified by death certificates with COVID-19 indicated as the cause of death, or there is evidence that COVID contributed to the individual’s death OR individual with a death certificate that has COVID-19 indicated as the cause of death and there is no laboratory evidence for SARS-CoV-2
Date Reported: date the individual was marked as a confirmed death or as a probable death
Date of Death: date the individual died

Hospitalizations

COVID-19 hospitalizations include confirmed and antigen positive cases who were hospitalized at the time the case was reported to DPH or when the case was interviewed. Only the first hospitalization of each individual is included. Hospitalizations are arranged by date of admission associated with the first hospitalization of an individual during COVID-19 infection (date the case was reported is used if date of admission is missing).

Outbreaks

Outbreaks include clusters of cases in any setting reported to or identified by DPH. These numbers may not reflect all clusters due to under-reporting. Clusters include all active and closed investigations. As reported clusters are investigated, those that do not meet the following confirmed outbreak definition will be removed from the data.

Confirmed Outbreaks: Laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in two or more people with symptom onset/collection dates within a 14-day period who are epidemiologically linked and do not share a household

Measures

Line plots show weekly COVID-related counts by the Monday starting the week and the corresponding rates (per 100,000 population). Where data is preliminary due to lag in reporting or incomplete weeks, dashed lines are used. To focus on particular age groups, click on the legend to remove unneeded lines. Stacked bar plots with counts and rates aggregated over calendar month are also provided for ages 17 years and below. Months with preliminary data have lighter bars.

Tables compare this year’s data to data from one year ago. They include bar plots showing total COVID-related counts each week during the 14-week period 12/12/2022 to 03/19/2023 and the equivalent weeks from the previous year, ordered by the Monday starting the week. Note, the y-axis for these plots may scale differently for different age groups but stay identical across the two years. Tables also contain rates (per 100,000 population) over three consecutive 14-day periods. If the total COVID-related count for an age group during a period is between 1 and 4, that rate will not be calculated and “<5 counts” will be displayed instead.

Outbreaks are displayed in a bar plot arranged by the Monday starting the week they were first reported.

This tab displays trends in COVID-19 cases by residence county and age group.

COVID-19 cases are based on data available in the State Electronic Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (SendSS) as of March 23rd, 2023. Only cases reported between 02/01/2020 and 03/19/2023 are included. Total population counts are taken from the 2020 OASIS Single Year of Age dataset.

Cases

COVID-19 cases include both confirmed cases and antigen positive cases. Cases are sequenced by date reported. Cases are reported through multiple sources including electronic lab reporting (ELR), direct entry into SendSS, faxed case reports, and calls from providers to DPH. Only the first infection of each individual is included.

Confirmed Case: individual with a positive molecular test
Antigen Positive Case: individual with a positive antigen test
Date Reported: date the individual was marked as a confirmed case or as a probable case

Measures

Case counts are provided in a table split by residence location (statewide or county) and age group. “Statewide” rows combine all data collected within Georgia, including any reporting an out-of-state or unknown residence address. Persons of unknown age are counted only in rows where Age Group is “All Ages”. The remaining columns are defined as follows:

Weekly Cases: Weekly counts of cases reported for the previous 12 weeks. Date represents the week the case was reported to DPH.
Cases to Date: All cases reported to DPH between 02/01/2020 and 03/19/2023
14-day Case Count: All cases reported to DPH during the most recent 14 days included in this report (03/06-03/19).
14-day Case Rate (per 100k): 14-day Case Count/100K residents based on 2020 data. Rates are not calculated if corresponding counts are below 5 or for unknown or non-GA counties.
Change in last 2 weeks: Change in case count during the previous 14 days, comparing the second 7-day period to the first 7-day period. Possible values are “Increasing” (if 5% or greater change), “Decreasing” (if -5% or less change), or “Less than 5% change” (if change is within +/-5% or if the first 7-day period had no cases reported). Change is not calculated if fewer than 5 cases were reported in this 14-day period.

Syndromic Surveillance (SS) provides a method for timely detection of potential clusters or outbreaks of specified diseases/events (Syndromes). SS data include emergency department (ED) visits based on the patient’s chief complaint upon admission and/or discharge diagnosis. Text and diagnosis codes are searched to identify syndromes which can indicate changes in the number of people seeking care in emergency departments for those diseases or conditions.

This tab uses Covid-19 (COVID) syndromes to analyze trends in ED visits potentially related to COVID-19.

Dates in this tab refer to ED visit date. Only visits occurring through 03/19/2023 are included to account for delays in reporting.

ED Visits

Approximately 90% of Georgia EDs currently report to DPH, most data are available within 72 hours of patient visit. 80% of facilities are currently submitting discharge diagnosis information, final diagnosis may differ from the chief complaint recorded during admission. Changes in counts may vary if a new facility begins reporting to DPH or temporarily stops reporting due to technical issues. Documentation of chief complaint varies by facility. SS data does not necessarily depict the true burden of specified diseases/events. Criteria for syndromes are subject to change as additional information is received.

COVID Syndrome

COVID Syndrome identifies ED visits that refer to COVID-19. It includes chief complaint text for “coronavirus”, “covid”, “c-19”, or “ncov” as well as selected discharge diagnosis codes (ICD or Snomed) relevant to COVID-19 including confirmed COVID-19, suspected/probable COVID-19, unspecified coronavirus infection, exposure to COVID-19, or severe acute respiratory syndrome. COVID Syndrome excludes visits related to Covid-19 testing or exposure with no mention of symptoms.

Since number of visits can be affected by facilities beginning to report or not sending reports on a given day, we present the percent of visits related to COVID to understand the burden of ED visits related to these conditions.

Measures

The line plot shows the weekly percent of all ED visits within the state that were for COVID (COVID visits/total ED visits) by the Monday starting the week, split by age group. Visits from patients of unknown age are excluded. To focus on particular age groups, click on the legend to remove unneeded lines.

County-level data are provided in a table with columns defined below. County refers to each patient’s county of residence. Data from persons of unknown age or unknown county are included in this table. The “Statewide” row combines all data collected within Georgia.

ED visits: The total number of ED visits among county residents during the specified date range.
Daily COVID visits: Daily number of all ED visits that were for COVID for the previous 30 days. This number can be affected by facilities changing reporting practices.
% COVID visits: % of all ED visits that were for COVID (COVID visits/total ED visits) during the specified time period. Consecutive time periods are presented to see the trend over a 14-day period. % COVID visits is not calculated if there were <5 COVID visits during the specified time period.

This tab displays trends in PCR percent positivity by county of residence.

Dates in this tab refer to specimen collection date. Only data from specimens collected through 03/19/2023 are included to account for delays in reporting.

PCR Tests

Only data from molecular (PCR) tests reported to DPH through ELR are included, not all reporting sources, therefore these data do not represent all tests performed in Georgia. ELR reports include both positive and negative results; other reporting sources do not consistently report negative results. People with a positive test often get retested and may test positive multiple times. These repeat positive tests will be counted as new positive tests, but they will not be reported as new cases.

Measures

7-day Average PCR % Positive: Daily average (average of the previous 7 days) % of reported PCR tests that were positive (positive PCR tests/total PCR tests) for the previous 30 days. Date represents the date the specimen was collected.
Daily PCR Tests Performed: Total PCR tests performed and reported to DPH by ELR, by day during the previous 30 days.
PCR % Positive: % of all reported PCR tests that were positive (positive PCR tests/total PCR tests) during the specified time period. Consecutive time periods are presented to see the trend over a 14-day period. Due to reporting lags, this number may change over time if a laboratory is delayed in reporting results. % positive is not calculated if there were <10 tests during a 7-day period or <20 tests during a 14-day period.

Cases

Cases per 100K Population

Comparison with Previous Year (by Date Reported)

Year 2022-2023

Year 2021-2022

Note: Barplots have a different y-axis range for different age groups and therefore should only be used to compare trends or magnitudes across years

Outbreaks

Clusters by Week Reported

Deaths

Deaths per 100K Population

Comparison with Previous Year (by Date Reported)

Year 2022-2023

Year 2021-2022

Note: Barplots have a different y-axis range for different age groups and therefore should only be used to compare trends or magnitudes across years

Hospitalizations per 100K Population

By Date of Admission
By Date of Admission (Children Only)

Comparison with Previous Year (by Date of Admission)

Year 2022-2023

Year 2021-2022

Note: Barplots have a different y-axis range for different age groups and therefore should only be used to compare trends or magnitudes across years

Cases by Age and County

By Date Reported, through 03/19/2023

Show entries

	County or Statewide	Age Group (Years)	Cases to Date 02/01/20-03/19/23	14-day Case Count 03/06-03/19	14-day Case Rate (per 100k)	Change in last 2 Weeks
			8 3072167	0 6220	12.0 397.9
1	STATEWIDE	00-04	104,829	320	49	Less than 5% change
2	STATEWIDE	05-10	151,495	176	21	Less than 5% change
3	STATEWIDE	11-17	258,399	258	26	Decreasing
4	STATEWIDE	18-22	253,856	378	51	Less than 5% change
5	STATEWIDE	23-34	623,570	982	55	Decreasing
6	STATEWIDE	35-54	917,395	1,579	57	Less than 5% change
7	STATEWIDE	55-64	366,369	927	70	Decreasing
8	STATEWIDE	65+	391,917	1,553	99	Decreasing
9	STATEWIDE	All Ages	3,072,167	6,220	58	Decreasing

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Percent COVID Visits By Age

Percent COVID Visits By County

Show entries

	County or Statewide	ED Visits 03/06-03/12	ED Visits 03/13-03/19	% COVID Visits 03/06-03/12	% COVID Visits 03/13-03/19
		1 97659	0 93376	0.2 5.0	0.3 4.4
1	STATEWIDE	97,659	93,376	1%	1%
2	APPLING	171	176	Not Calculated	Not Calculated
3	ATKINSON	56	16	Not Calculated	Not Calculated
4	BACON	108	115	Not Calculated	Not Calculated
5	BAKER	27	21	Not Calculated	Not Calculated
6	BALDWIN	503	314	Not Calculated	Not Calculated
7	BANKS	164	180	Not Calculated	3%
8	BARROW	908	852	1%	1%
9	BARTOW	1,594	1,280	2%	1%
10	BEN HILL	44	46	Not Calculated	Not Calculated

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PCR Percent Positive By County

Show entries

	County or Statewide	PCR % Positive 03/06-03/12	PCR % Positive 03/13-03/19	14-day PCR % Positive 03/06-03/19
		0.0 17.3	0.0 29.2	0.0 18.4
1	STATEWIDE	6.2%	6.1%	6.1%
2	APPLING	4.9%	2.0%	3.3%
3	ATKINSON	Not Calculated	Not Calculated	Not Calculated
4	BACON	5.0%	3.0%	3.8%
5	BAKER	Not Calculated	Not Calculated	Not Calculated
6	BALDWIN	7.9%	10.6%	9.4%
7	BANKS	5.9%	13.2%	9.0%
8	BARROW	8.4%	6.2%	7.3%
9	BARTOW	7.7%	5.3%	6.6%
10	BEN HILL	0.0%	20.0%	9.5%

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