Cobb Reporter

Cobb County is now considered a “high community spreader” of COVID-19 based on federal health standards as infection rates continue to climb at staggering rates in local communities and across the country.

"As COVID-19 cases are rising in all 50 states, I want to encourage all Georgians to talk with their doctor and get vaccinated," Gov. Brian Kemp wrote in a tweet on Monday.

A July Indicator Report released by the state of Georgia indicates Cobb County’s 63,149 confirmed cases, with 440 reported during the week of July 17 alone. The state has seen 917,837 cases to date, with 7,567 cases reported since July 17.

Based on its rate of infections, the county has surpassed what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers to be “high transmission” figures of 100 cases per 100,000 residents. Cobb & Douglas Public Health spokeswoman Valerie Crow told Yahoo News that the county has counted 158 cases per 100,00 residents.

According to Crow, approximately 36.6% of COVID-19 cases in Georgia, and 83% across the U.S., contain the recently discovered Delta variant, found to be much more transmissible than other variants.

The expert continues to urge local residents to get vaccinated and to continue wearing masks and maintaining social distance in public areas. The Georgia Department of Public Health reports 52% of Cobb’s population have received one dose, while 47% are fully vaccinated.

"Almost all hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 continue to be unvaccinated people," Crow said.