COVID-19 hospitalizations on the rise in county, state

♦ Floyd County records another 25 cases, bringing the total to 3,500 over eight months.

The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 is on the rise again, in both Floyd County and Georgia overall.

Floyd and Redmond Regional medical centers reported a total of 39 patients confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus Wednesday. Statewide, the number was 1,325.

Epidemiologist Amber Schmidtke, who writes a daily analysis of Georgia’s numbers, said that’s a small drop from Tuesday but more people are hospitalized than a week ago.

Adult ventilators were in use at a rate of 29%, consistent with pre-summer surge levels, she said, citing Georgia Department of Public Health tracking. Three of the 14 hospital regions were using 90% or more of their ICU beds — in the Athens area, Cobb County area and middle Georgia.

Schmidtke’s analysis Wednesday included a comparison with the latest White House Coronavirus Task Force report. She said Georgia’s death rate remains higher than the national average.

“The national death rate is declining for now,” she wrote. “But with cases surging in parts of the country, and deaths being a lagging consequence of case surges, we should expect the national rate to increase in the coming weeks.”

Floyd County has had 49 reported fatalities from COVID-19. Of those, 32 came in the first six months of the pandemic and 17 since Sept. 1. Statewide, 7,470 people have died, as of Wednesday.

Another 25 Floyd County residents were confirmed to have the virus Wednesday, bringing the total to 3,500 people infected locally.