Georgia moves to weekly COVID-19 data reporting

The Georgia Department of Public Health is moving from daily to weekly COVID-19 data reporting.

In a news release Thursday, the department said beginning April 20, case counts and vaccination updates will be published on the department’s website every Wednesday. The last daily updates to the Daily Status Report and the vaccine dashboard will be on Friday.

Weekly intervals provide a more complete picture than day-to-day changes or data fluctuations when determining areas of concern or COVID’s trajectory in the state, the department said. And, because of the number of at-home COVID tests that do not get reported, there is a now a greater focus on other indicators such as hospital admissions, hospital occupancy, and overall vaccination rates when assessing the community impact of COVID-19, officials said.

"We believe weekly COVID reporting will continue to support a sustainable response in Georgia while informing decision-making around transmission and infection rates," said Kathleen E. Toomey, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health. "DPH epidemiologists and the data team have worked tirelessly for more than two years to provide this information to the public. We are extremely grateful for their work and dedication."