After setting a single-day record with 5,023 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, Georgia saw declines in numbers of cases over the weekend but nearly matched the record total on Monday with 4,875 new cases.
The state had recorded three consecutive days of more than 4,000 new daily cases last week, and that number dropped to 1,807 on Sunday. But the state Department of Health reported 4,875 new cases Monday afternoon, the second-highest daily total.
Also, COVID cases that require hospitalization continue to rise in Georgia, and more Americans are being hospitalized than at any point since the pandemic began in March.
A record high 101,501 virus patients were hospitalized in the United States as of Monday, according to the COVID Tracking Project. It was the ninth day in the past 10 a new record was set for national hospitalizations.
There are currently 2,829 COVID patients hospitalized in Georgia, the Tracking Project reported Monday. It was the 10th consecutive day the state has seen an increase in hospitalizations.
In his report Monday, Bulloch County Public Safety/Emergency Management Agency Director Ted Wynn said the county reported 12 new cases and has now recorded 3,374 total COVID cases, which have resulted in 35 deaths and 153 local residents being hospitalized since the pandemic began in March.
Also, the state Department of Health is reporting an additional 21 deaths in Bulloch probably were caused by COVID. According to the Georgia DPH, the 21 non-confirmed deaths represent Bulloch citizens who received a positive antigen/rapid test for COVID-19, developed COVID-19 symptoms and subsequently died.
In his Monday report, Wynn said East Georgia Regional Medical Center staff were caring for 10 COVID patients, with five patients on ventilators.
Bulloch EMS has transported a total of 132 people with probable COVID-19 and 157 with confirmed cases.
State, national case numbers
With the 4,875 cases reported Monday, the state has recorded 42,925 new cases in the past two weeks, bringing the state's total number of confirmed cases up to 448,683.
The state has averaged nearly 3,900 new cases per day since Dec. 1. Georgia reported 37 deaths on Monday, raising the death toll to 9,007.
According to statistics from the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, as of Monday afternoon, 283,503 Americans had died from coronavirus. Also, Johns Hopkins reported the U.S. has had 14,909,148 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic.
Bulloch Schools
The Bulloch County Schools system reported six new cases last week and two this week for a total of 189 COVID cases since classes started on Aug. 17.
Local colleges
Georgia Southern saw a small increase in cases for the week of Nov. 30–Dec. 6, reporting 26 new cases on Monday, up 13 cases from the previous week. Nineteen of the new cases were on the Statesboro campus. Georgia Southern will report again on Monday, Dec. 14.
East Georgia State College reported one new case of COVID-19 on Friday. The college has had a total of 104 cases across its three campuses since Aug. 17.
Ogeechee Technical College reported no new positive COVID tests for the week of Nov. 30–Dec. 6. The college has had a total of 38 cases across its campuses since Aug. 17.
Testing sites
The Bulloch County Health Department, 1 W. Altman St. in Statesboro, continues to serve as a COVID-19 testing site, or specimen point of collection. It operates 8 a.m. till noon Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. To schedule a free test, call (855) 473-4374 or visit www.sehdph.org/covid-19, where a test can be scheduled online.
Additional free COVID-19 testing continues Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon at Luetta Moore Park, 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.