COVID-19 Deaths Surge Anew In Georgia As Hospitals Stay Full

Gov. Brian Kemp looks on during a coronavirus briefing at the Capitol on July 17 in Atlanta. Despite a lawsuit against Atlanta’s mayor and City Council by Kemp for exceeding his executive orders, local governments continue to order people to wear masks in public.

John Bazemore / Associated Press

Surging numbers of COVID-19 deaths continued in Georgia on Wednesday as the number of confirmed cases in the state surpassed 150,000.

Health officials say the jump in deaths follows the increasing number of cases in Georgia. The state Department of Public Health reported 81 deaths Wednesday, the second-highest number reported so far in the pandemic, below only the 100 deaths reported on April 7.

The big number followed 78 deaths reported on Tuesday, combining to push up Georgia’s seven-day trend in deaths to a level not seen since early June. Not all deaths are reported immediately, but state Department of Public Health spokesperson Nancy Nydam said Tuesday that more than 90% of deaths with known dates reported Tuesday happened in July, indicating they’re likely related to the surge in cases that began in Georgia in June.