Polk County’s number of positives remained up, along with the number of new hospital patients admitted for COVID-19 increased according to the latest Department of Public Health report released this afternoon.

Local positives increased by eight overall in the latest numbers report, bringing the overall figure to 1,417 positives reported since March 3 locally.

(Note: Previously, I have reported this date as March 12. After a review today of COVID-19 numbers – still to be double checked – the reporting system shows the first case of COVID-19 showing up in testing as of March 3, but it wasn’t first reported officially until March 12. Since the data has been updated by the state, March 3 is now the standard by which reports will be derived, along with additional numbers that will be included in the coming days.)

The addition of two new hospital patients admitted in the report from Monday afternoon to today brings that figure to 97, and ends a three-day run without new patients admitted for COVID-19. Fortunately, the number of deaths from the virus locally have not increased since September 5 and marks the 17th day without a new reported fatality caused by the virus or contributed to a death.

Based on the data available, Polk County’s total number of tests submitted to the state stood at 10,268 as of this afternoon’s report. The overall rate of positives stood at 13.8%.

That’s just a small amount of the 3,079,471 overall tests that have been administered (molecular and antibody) since the state began reporting figures back in late February for Georgia. Out of that figure, today’s positives stood at 308,221, an increase of a new 1,017 positives for COVID-19 since tracking began.

Virus hospitalizations were up by 96 overall, up to 27,490 people treated for the virus in Georgia medical centers. Within that figure is 5,026 people in total who needed intensive care treatment for the symptoms of COVID-19.

Sadly, another 73 people died from the virus, a marked increase from the six overall deaths in Georgia over the past two days. That brought the death toll from the virus or previous ailments that are worsened because of the symptoms of COVID-19 to 6,677.

Nationwide, COVID-19 cases stood at 6,825,697, an increase on the day of 39,345 confirmed positives between Sunday, Sept. 20 and Monday, Sept. 21.

COVID-19 has been listed as the cause of death for 199,462 people nationwide per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest figures. That is an increase of 438 from Sept. 20 to Sept. 21.

Multiple news outlets are reporting today that their figures – not confirmed by the CDC – that COVID-19 deaths have surpassed 200,000 across the country.