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With the number of COVID-19 positive patients nearly tripling across Northeast Georgia Health System, hospital officials said 92% of those patients are unvaccinated.

NGHS reported 79 COVID positive patients Wednesday, July 28, across its hospitals, up from 27 COVID positive patients July 21.

Hospital officials said 92% of those COVID positive patients are unvaccinated, and the average age of the patients is 57.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, the seven-day rolling average of PCR tests coming back positive was 10.9% in Hall County.

The positive rate is now double the rate at which NGHS needed to be under to be considered low community transmission, which allowed NGHS officials to relax certain visitation restrictions and testing for its patients.

The COVID positive patient statistics are close to what they were back in early March and the previous November. NGHS officials did not answer questions as of press time on the severity of the cases presenting at the hospital.

The infographics on the DPH website show that the older age groups are more likely to be vaccinated than their younger counterparts.

In Hall County, 96.6% of people aged 75-84 had at least one dose, and that number goes up to 99.8% for those 85 and older.

Conversely, 31.4% of Hall residents between 25-34 had at least one dose, and 38.1% of those 35-44 have had a shot.

Hall County court administrator Jason Stephenson said there would be no changes to protocols at this time “while we’re reviewing the latest (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidance and continuing to monitor local trends and conditions.”