Another increase in new patients in the hospital from Polk County and an increase in patients was the result of the latest report from the Georgia Department of Public Health for Saturday afternoon as the month inches closer to an end.

The DPH reported seven new hospital patients from Polk County, bringing the overall total to 79 over the past 24 hours. Just in the last seven days, the number of people who have needed treatment in an area medical center for COVID-19 has jumped by 28 patients.

Another 17 people who have tested positive for the virus pushed Polk County to 1,206 total COVID-19 cases since tracking began, and if the trend continues will be nearly double the number of cases that were reported from when the first local patient tested positive in mid-March to the end of July.

Currently, the total number of cases in August reported by the DPH locally sits at 542 locally. For reference, the 1,206 cases reported in Polk County is more than the entire country of Guyana has reported so far to the World Health Organization. (Though testing capabilities might not be what they are in Polk County.)

The number of deaths remained at 15 for the county.

Georgia’s tally of new cases, hospital patients and deaths were on the rise again on the day. Some 2,428 people were added to the overall tally of 267,758 people who have tested positive for the virus since tracking began, which is a 10.6% positive rate out of the 2.5+ million tests administered so far.

The state has record another 198 people hospitalized which increased the overall number of patients who have needed medical care for the virus since late February to 24,533. The number of ICU patients overall stood today at 4,479.

Georgia’s number of deaths increased by triple digits on the day according to the DPH figures. Sadly, another 106 people died due to COVID-19 or problems exaggerated by the virus. That brought the overall total to 5,576 since late February.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention posted a number of 44,876 new cases confirmed as of Saturday afternoon, bringing the nationwide total to 5,890,532. Sadly, another 978 people died from the virus from Thursday to Friday, bringing the total to 181,143 deaths from COVID-19 since tracking began.