Georgia Passes 200,000 COVID-19 Cases, Nears 4,000 Deaths

Caption

Brandie Hall administers a viral coronavirus test at a testing pop up in at the St. Paul AME church parking lot in Macon.

Credit: GPB News/Grant Blankenship

Georgia has become the fifth American state to record 200,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The numbers were announced Wednesday as the state also neared 4,000 deaths from the COVID-19 respiratory illness that the virus causes.

The milestone comes amid signs that the pace of new infections has slowed, although hospitalizations and deaths remain high. Unclear is how the resumption of in-person classes at schools and universities will affect the infection rate.

More Georgia school districts opened for face-to-face instruction Wednesday, while Mercer University announced 35 students have tested positive before fall classes even begin.

RELATED: Dozens Of Mercer Students Test COVID-19 Positive Weeks Before Classes Start

Gov. Brian Kemp has ignored pleas from some medical experts to mandate masks and shut down bars.