Using the 14-day period beginning July 8, 2021 and ending July 21, 2021, the Georgia Department of Public Health has classified 11 Georgia counties as ‘Red Zones’ for COVID-19 positivity.
6.9% of Georgia counties were classified as ‘Red’ for test positivity over the last 14 days, meaning greater than 10% PCR positivity and not meeting the criteria for Green or Yellow classifications.
The numbers are based on the % of positive tests over the last 14 days, however, the number of tests taken over that period varies greatly by county. For example, Bartow County is a red county with 978 tests performed in the last 14 days and a 12.2% positivity rate, but Barrow County but Atkinson County is yellow, has performed 69 tests in the last 14 days, and has a positivity rate of 15.9%. DPH also reports that the data is not comprehensive of all reporting sources and cannot represent all tests performed in the state.
Red Counties (greater than 10% PCR positivity):
- Bartow – 12.2% positivity
- Bibb – 12.6% positivity
- Camden – 25.2% positivity
- Charlton – 13/1% positivity
- Chatham – 10.8% positivity
- Effingham – 13.6% positivity
- Houston – 13.3% positivity
- Jackson – 10.3% positivity
- Muscogee – 11.1% positivity
- Thomas – 19.6% positivity
- Troup – 15.9% positivity
Green Counties (less than 5% PCR positivity):
- Bacon
- Butts
- Calhoun
- Clay
- Crisp
- Dawson
- Dodge
- Dougherty
- Echols
- Elbert
- Fayette
- Forsyth
- Glascock
- Greene
- Gwinnett
- Jasper
- Jefferson
- Lanier
- Lumpkin
- Murray
- Polk
- Quitman
- Rabun
- Randolph
- Schley
- Sumter
- Taliaferro
- Upson
- Wilcox
- Worth
The remaining Georgia counties were ‘yellow,’ meaning there is a 5-10% PCR positivity during the last 14 days OR greater than 10% PCR positivity and less than 500 PCR tests and less than 2000 PCR tests per 100,000 residents in the last 14 days.
Surgo Ventures also analyzed CDC data on the Delta variant, which health officials say accounts for 83% of the COVID cases in the United States. Surgo Ventures said in a statement, “The counties listed are “Delta danger zones, which means they represent the strongest convergence of COVId-19 vulnerability, underlying community barriers to vaccine update, and low vaccination rates of all counties in the United States at this time.”
Seven Georgia counties also made the list for ‘danger zones,’ including:
- Charlton County (14.5% vaccination, average 62 cases per day per 100k people)
- Lanier County (19.8% vaccination, average 7 cases per day per 100k people)
- Telfair County (20.2% vaccination, average 11 cases per day per 100k people)
- Heard County (20.5% vaccination, average 13 cases per day per 100k people)
- Jeff Davis County (21.4% vaccination, average 9 cases per day per 100k people)
- Treutlen County (21.6% vaccination, average 9 cases per day per day per 100k people)
- Bacon County (21.7% vaccination, average 26 cases per day per 100k people)
None of the counties designated ‘red’ by DPH overlapped with counties designated ‘red’ by Surgo Ventures.
You can view the full report below.
https://www.thegeorgiavirtue.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/LTCF-GA-Phases-20210726.pdf
