On June 1, Bulloch County had 62 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Now, with 52 added Wednesday, Bulloch begins July with 391 confirmed cases — an increase of 530%.

In just 24 hours between Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, Bulloch County broke another daily record with a 52-case jump in residents testing positive for COVID-19. The number of cases Wednesday at 3 p.m. was 391 — a 31% increase in two days. To date there have been four reported deaths and 30 hospitalizations, according to Bulloch County Public Safety/Emergency Management Agency Director Ted Wynn.

The county continues in the category of “substantial spread.” The highest bracket of community spread of the disease as determined by the Georgia Department of Public Health, this reflects a county having more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents. Bulloch County, with 79,608 residents in the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimate, has now seen the cumulative equivalent of 492 cases per 100,000 residents.

Of those testing positive for the coronavirus, 30 Bulloch County residents so far, or less than 10%, have been hospitalized, according to the Department of Public Health data. The deaths of four residents of the county have been attributed to the disease.

But East Georgia Regional Medical Center, which draws patients from several counties, has admitted 61 COVID-19 patients to date, Wynn noted after hearing Steve Pennington, the hospital’s CEO, speak Tuesday at a videoconference hosted by the Statesboro-Bulloch Chamber of Commerce.

Of those patients, 14 remained in the hospital Wednesday. Unchanged from Tuesday, this is the largest number of coronavirus patients under EGRMC’s care at one time since the first COVID-19 patient was admitted in April.

Pennington also reportedly said that recent COVID-19 patients are sicker and younger than those admitted previously. Statewide data show that Georgia residents ages 18–29 are now the age bracket with the highest number of confirmed cases, although more deaths have occurred among older patients.

Also, Wynn said Bulloch County EMS “had the busiest day ever” with five positive coronavirus cases transported in 16 hours Wednesday. This brings up the total transported to 32 possible and 22 confirmed cases.

Wynn strongly recommends wearing masks as well as social distancing and hand sanitizing.

He said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp “issued a warning” on his wear-a-mask tour.

Kemp said that “if (people), especially our young people, don’t start wearing a mask when they’re going out in public and our numbers keep rising, that’s going to be a tall task” to allow fall events such as football games and continuing current easing of restrictions.

Georgia had a cumulative total of 84,237 cases as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, resulting in 11,275 hospitalizations, 2,357 intensive care unit admissions and 2,827 deaths, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health at https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report.

The United States added 43,644 cases since Tuesday and, in total, has recorded 2,624,873 cases and 127,299 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov.