After recording a single-day record for new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the Georgia Department of Health reported the state's fifth-highest daily number of positive cases on Friday.
The state reported 6,126 new cases Thursday, shattering the previous high number of cases set Dec. 4, when the state had 5,015 new cases. On Friday, the state had 4,775 new cases and has recorded 41,887 cases since Dec. 1.
Meanwhile, Bulloch County Public Safety/Emergency Management Agency Director Ted Wynn said the county recorded 23 new cases Friday — the most in one day since 40 were reported on Sept. 23.
Earlier this week, the Department of Public Health placed Bulloch on its watch list of "Emerging Counties" for possible increases in coronavirus cases.
"Bulloch County, as are many Georgia counties, is now considered an emerging county due to increases in new cases, positivity rate, and emergency room visits," Wynn said Tuesday.
Georgia is now averaging more than 4,150 new cases per day in the past seven days — by far the highest seven-day average since the pandemic started in March.
With the 4,775 new cases reported Friday, the state's total number of confirmed cases is now up to 466,904. Georgia reported 52 deaths on Friday, raising the death toll to 9,175.
With Friday's 23 new cases, Bulloch County has now recorded 3,430 total COVID cases, which have resulted in 35 deaths and 155 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.
Wynn said East Georgia Regional Medical Center staff on Thursday 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.
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 107,258 virus patients were hospitalized in the United States as of Thursday, according to the COVID Tracking Project. It was the thirteenth day in the past 14 a new record was set for national hospitalizations.
There were 3,088 COVID patients hospitalized in Georgia, the Tracking Project reported as of Thursday. It is the fourteenth consecutive day the state has seen an increase in hospitalizations.
National case numbers
According to statistics from the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, as of Thursday afternoon, 294,056 Americans had died from coronavirus. Also, Johns Hopkins reported the U.S. has had 15,758,661 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic.
Bulloch Schools
The Bulloch County Schools system has reported 16 new cases this week for a total of 203 COVID cases since classes started on Aug. 17.
Local colleges
Georgia Southern reported 26 new cases for the week of Nov. 30–Dec. 6. Georgia Southern will report again on Monday.
East Georgia State College reported one new case of COVID-19 on Thursday. The college has had a total of 107 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. OTC will report again on Monday.
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.