Model predicts Georgia could see 20k daily COVID-19 cases by Sept. 2

ATLANTA — Georgia will have the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the country by Sept. 2, with an average of up to 20,000 new daily cases, according to forecasting data from the Mayo Clinic.

The Mayo Clinic tracks 7-day averages of new cases to predict how case rates will trend in the next 14 days.

[QUICK LINKS: Here’s where you can get COVID-19 vaccines around metro Atlanta]

By September 2nd, the organization predicts that Georgia will see soaring numbers of new cases across the state, averaging around 20,000. The prediction models released for just one day earlier, Sept. 1, predicts around 15,000 new cases.

Based on the numbers from Sept. 1, Georgia will become the state with the highest case rate, trumping all other states for the numbers of people infected.

Here are the top 10 states by case-rate by Sept. 1:

• Georgia: 177 per 100K people; 15,500 average daily cases
• Mississippi: 135 per 100k; 4,017 cases
• Alabama: 129 per 100k; 6,325 cases
• Louisiana: 129 per 100k; 5,996 cases
• West Virginia: 125 per 100k; 2,240 cases
• Oregon: 115 per 100k; 4,850 cases
• Kentucky: 114 per 100k; 5,093 cases
• Tennessee: 105 per 100k; 7,170 cases
• Texas: 91 per 100k; 26,286 cases
• Florida: 82 per 100k; 17,611 cases

There is some uncertainty in the modeling, and the case rates could be much higher or much lower, depending on factors like vaccination rates.

Georgia has seen a slight uptick in vaccinations since the delta variant began to spread. At least 42% of Georgians are currently fully vaccinated.

[RELATED: Georgia school district shuts down for 2 weeks because of skyrocketing COVID-19 cases]

Georgia reported 6,820 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and 48 new deaths.

At the highest point during the pandemic in Georgia, the state reported 10,175 new cases of the virus and 186 daily deaths.

The Mayo Clinic says that getting vaccinated is the best way to help stop the spread.

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