Georgia Sees Improvement in COVID-19 Testing
Wednesday, May 20th, 2020
Governor Brian P. Kemp announced that Georgia now ranks twenty-first out of fifty-four states and territories on the current percentage of total population tested, up from forty-sixth one month ago. Among states with more than five million residents, Georgia ranks eighth out of twenty-three states.
"Our focus on increased testing is yielding strong results as the Georgia National Guard, Georgia Department of Public Health, and various public and private-sector partners continue to work non-stop to improve access to COVID-19 testing for Georgians," said Governor Kemp. "We are working tirelessly to move the needle on testing as we take measured steps to safely reopen the Peach State."
Georgia has tested 3.3% of its total population for COVID-19 with 364,289 tests completed. On Friday, May 15, the state announced that it surpassed 300,000 tests, increasing the number of reported tests by more than 64,000 over the weekend.
Any Georgian can now be tested for COVID-19. As the state continues to ramp up testing, the number of positive cases may rise. However, the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests is now at 10.5%, down from 16% two weeks ago.