Epidemiologist: Georgia COVID Risk High Despite Case Decline

A syringe is prepared with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic at the Reading Area Community College in Reading, Pa. In Georgia, only 45% the state’s population is fully vaccinated, well below the national average.

Matt Rourke / AP Photo

The number of COVID-19 cases in Georgia remains high despite a recent decline and still creates a significant risk the disease could spread through communities, state epidemiologist Cherie Drenzek said Tuesday.

Drenzek updated the state Board of Public Health on the spike in COVID cases since the end of June. The increase is being fueled by the delta variant of the virus among people who are unvaccinated.

Since the beginning of September, the seven-day average of new cases has fallen. But Drenzek warned the state is coming down from steep peaks, and its hospitals and schools are still facing great strain. The “risk of transmission” through communities remains high, she said.