COVID-19 infections leap again at University of Georgia

ATLANTA (AP) — Coronavirus infections continue to spread at the University of Georgia, with the school reporting more than 1,400 new cases of COVID-19 in the past week.

The numbers, reported Wednesday, push the 39,000-student university close to 2,600 total infections in the past four weeks, according to the school's data. Although Georgia College & State University still has recorded a larger share of infections among its campus community since Aug. 1, UGA's outbreak is now the fastest growing among universities in the state that are publicly reporting numbers.

The surge is clearly reflected in the figures for the broader Athens-Clarke County community. Clarke County is 23rd among U.S. counties for the most new cases per capita in the past 14 days, according to figures kept by The Associated Press, although the university says some tests may come from students and employees elsewhere.

And a rising positivity rate suggests things could be getting worse, with 8% of surveillance tests conducted to keep an eye on the spread of the virus coming back positive last week, compared to 5% the week before.

The growing outbreak at the university comes as case numbers across Georgia continue to fall. The state is now recording about 1,800 newly confirmed infections a day, down more than half from its late July peak. That’s still above the national average for new infections, on a per person basis, but Georgia has fallen from the worst for new infections to No. 11 as of Tuesday. More than 285,000 infections have been confirmed and at least 6,070 people in Georgia have died from the virus.

The university announced Tuesday that it was increasing the number of daily surveillance tests available from 360 to 450, and inviting randomized groups of students to come take a test, starting with campus housing residents.

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