Increase In New Virus Infections Levels Off In Georgia

A police officer directs cars into a coronavirus testing facility at Georgia Tech last spring.

John Bazemore / Associated Press

The rise in coronavirus infections has slowed in Georgia, although transmission of the respiratory illness remains widespread in the state.

Georgia is averaging about 1,600 new COVID-19 cases per day confirmed through genetic tests, according to a seven-day rolling average, plus about 500 per day confirmed through less accurate antigen tests.

Those numbers were higher on Monday than they were a week earlier in Georgia, but had come down in recent days from even higher peaks. It’s unclear whether the change represents an enduring trend or just a pause in the steady rise in cases that Georgia has seen since early October, with cases confirmed through genetic tests having risen nearly 40%. Those tests show nearly 375,000 confirmed infections.