Georgia breaks single-day record for COVID-19 deaths for 5th time this month

ATLANTA — Georgia set another grim record Tuesday as the state reported a new single-day death toll from COVID-19.

The Department of Public Health said there were 170 new reported deaths on Tuesday. That number is made of up cases from the last couple of weeks.

[SPECIAL SECTION: COVID-19 Vaccine in Georgia]

This is the fifth time this month the state has reported a record single-day death toll from the virus.

Here are the other record-breaking days:

• Jan. 15: 159
• Jan. 12: 143
• Jan. 14: 141
• Jan. 13: 137

Before this month, the record stood at 129, set in August during the summer surge of cases the state saw following the July 4 holiday.

In total, the state says 11,265 Georgians have died from the virus since it first appeared here in March.

[LINK: Where to find the COVID-19 vaccine in Georgia]

This all comes as the state continues its push to vaccinate as many people as possible against the virus. While Georgia remains in Phase 1a of the vaccination plan, DPH said 423,011 Georgians have been vaccinated against the virus as of Monday.

State officials confirmed there are five cases of the fast-spreading coronavirus variant first identified in the U.K. in the state.

DPH spokesperson Nancy Nydam told Channel 2′s Lori Wilson that even though the variant is more easily spread, the current coronavirus vaccines help prevent contracting the virus.

Last week, Georgia ranked 49th out of the 50 states for the rate of vaccine distribution, with Alabama coming in last.

If you have questions about the vaccine, the Georgia Department of Health has created a hotline that you can call. That number Is 888-357-0169. To find a location for a vaccine shot, you can CHECK HERE.

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