UPDATE [7 p.m.]: Georgia's coronavirus death toll has risen by 33 since noon, bringing the state's total number of victims to 412, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
The DPH also recorded 319 additional cases of COVID-19, increasing the number of cases since the coronavirus pandemic entered Georgia to 10,885. Of those, 2,298 patients have been hospitalized at some point, which is 21.1% of all cases.
Of the 77 counties to report at least one death from COVID-19, Dougherty remained the hardest hit with 66, followed by Fulton with 48 and Cobb with 32. Dougherty and Sumter tied for the most new deaths since noon with four, followed by Fulton, Cobb and Bartow with three each.
Georgia has conducted more than 41,000 tests, and about 26.5% of those have returned positive results.
At least 68.2% of those who have died had a preexisting condition, but the DPH did not know that information for about 28.2% of the victims. Only 15 were confirmed to not have another condition that could have contributed to their death aside from COVID-19.
The youngest victim in Georgia was a 27-year-old Lee County woman, while the oldest was a 100-year-old woman from Greene County.
The DPH also recently began to release compiled data of the race and ethnicity of patients, but more than 60% of patients had their race listed as unknown.
About 21.3% of patients were black, 15.9% were white and 0.7% were Asian, according to the latest data. About 2.8% of patients were listed as having Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.
The DPH does not release the race or ethnicity of those who died from the virus.
Only four counties — Evans, Glascock, Montgomery and Taliaferro — have not recorded their first case. The remaining 155 counties in Georgia have at least one, with Fulton topping the list with 1,336 confirmed cases.
Fulton also recorded the most new cases since noon with 60, followed by DeKalb and Cobb each with 24.
As of 7 p.m. Thursday, there were 766 cases in DeKalb, 653 in Cobb, 618 in Gwinnett, 298 in Clayton, 247 in Hall, 233 in Henry, 203 in Bartow, 167 in Cherokee, 134 in Douglas, 109 in Forsyth, 93 in Fayette, 85 in Rockdale, 70 in Newton and 69 in Paulding.
Patients between the ages of 18 and 59 make up the majority of cases at 60%, while those 60 and older make up 35% of cases. The DPH does not release compiled data on how many patients have recovered.
For the full update, click here.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
ORIGINAL STORY [noon]: Georgia has confirmed more than 350 cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the state's number of infections to 10,566 Thursday.
The latest figures from the Department of Public Health are an increase of about 3% from the 10,204 verified cases reported late Wednesday. Health officials also reported nine more deaths related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel virus.
A total of 379 Georgians have died of COVID-19 since the outbreak began, and 2,159 have been hospitalized across the state.
» COMPLETE COVERAGE: Coronavirus in Georgia
As the state recorded its 10,000th case Wednesday, Gov. Brian Kemp imposed new restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the virus. He extended a public health emergency through May 13 and the statewide stay-at-home order through the end of April. Both provisions were initially set to expire next Monday.
» RELATED: Kemp extends shelter-in-place order in Georgia through April
» PHOTOS: Metro Atlanta adjusts to coronavirus shifts in daily life
The governor on Wednesday also instituted new restrictions on senior care facilities, which have been hit especially hard by the virus. Cases of the disease have been reported in at least 58 senior care facilities around the state, and at least 81 residents of those facilities have died.
Of the COVID-19 deaths confirmed by the public health officials, the overwhelming majority are seniors over the age of 60. More than 60% of the total 379 who have died had underlying health conditions.
» AJC IN-DEPTH: As dozens die in senior care homes, Kemp extends statewide lockdown
While Kemp acknowledged the coronavirus was “hitting our state hard,” he also said he was encouraged by Georgians’ efforts to stay home and maintain social distancing. The measures may be starting to have an effect on new infections, the governor said at a news conference Wednesday.
“I don’t want Georgians to take their foot off the gas,” he said.
Nearly every county in Georgia has been impacted by the virus. Only four — Evans, Glascock, Montgomery and Taliaferro — have not confirmed a single case.
Elsewhere, numbers have surged. Metro Atlanta and Albany in southwest Georgia remain the state’s hardest-hit areas, with more than 1,000 cases and 62 deaths reported in Albany’s Dougherty County alone.
In metro Atlanta, there are 1,276 cases of the virus in Fulton County, 742 in DeKalb, 629 in Cobb, 603 in Gwinnett, 297 in Clayton, 238 in Hall, 225 in Henry, 196 in Bartow, 183 in Carroll, 159 in Cherokee, 127 in Douglas, 85 in Rockdale, 67 in Newton and 65 in Paulding.
As of Thursday, Union County is the 71st county in the state with a death related to the virus. Additional deaths were reported Thursday in Fulton, Clayton, Mitchell, Floyd, Randolph, Fayette, Richmond and Ware counties.
» DASHBOARD: Real-time stats and charts tracking coronavirus in Georgia
» MORE: Map tracks coronavirus globally in real time
Those who believe they are experiencing symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19 are asked to contact their primary care doctor or an urgent care clinic. Do not show up unannounced at an emergency room or health care facility.
Georgians can also call the state COVID-19 hotline at 844-442-2681 to share public health information and connect with medical professionals.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
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