Georgia continues break records as hospitals across the state fill with new COVID-19 patients. GPB’s Ellen Eldridge reports.

Navicent Health Emergency Room

The entrance to the emergency room at The Medical Center, Navicent Health in Macon on July 16, 2020

Credit: Grant Blankenship/GPB News

Georgia continues to break records for new cases of coronavirus, and health officials are begging folks to consider the risk to public health in choosing how to ring in the new year.

More than 88% of beds in Georgia’s intensive care units are full. Doctors fear the surge of new infections will continue through January if people continue to travel and get together. 

Dr. Jeffrey Stephens is with Navicent Health in Macon. He says the risk of celebrating New Year’s Eve is great. 

"With Christmas and the holiday travel and then with New Year's, the number of cases in January — I mean, some of my colleagues have been using words like the viral tsunami is here," Stephens said.

Stephens urges people to consider the public health risk of social gatherings heading into the new year.

"I just think getting into closed spaces with big groups of people really just is nonsensical in the middle of a pandemic," he said. "I just don't think that there's any any good rationale for that at this time."

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