VALDOSTA – South Georgia Medical Center has reported only low single-digit numbers of virus-related patients since reporting zero COVID-19 patients hospitalized more than two weeks ago.

SGMC reported zero patients April 8, which was the first time in more than two years, March 17, 2020, since the start of the pandemic, that the medical center had no virus-related patients hospitalized.

In the past week, SGMC has reported only one, two, three and as high as four COVID-19 patients hospitalized – still the lowest numbers of virus hospitalizations since March 2020. Only one virus patient was reported hospitalized Monday morning.

On April 7, the number of hospitalized patients in SGMC dropped to two, which was the first time the hospital had only two virus-related patients since March 18, 2020. Three weeks ago, SGMC reported a low of three virus patients which fluctuated with a few numbers higher throughout the past several days.

The hospital has reported no additional COVID-19-related deaths in the past couple of weeks. The hospital has reported 529 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Lowndes County has reported 279 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic, which has remained unchanged during the past week. Not all SGMC patients are Lowndes County residents.

The SGMC patient number was at 50 hospitalized COVID-19 patients at the end of February. The number of hospitalized SGMC virus patients reached a high of 112 during the omicron variant.

The record high during the past two years of the pandemic was 113 patients reported hospitalized Aug. 22, 2021, during the delta variant surge at the hospital.

SGMC had reported COVID-19 patients in the low single digits at Christmas rising to triple digits within a few weeks of the new year.

SGMC has discharged 3,113 COVID-19 patients throughout the pandemic.

Lowndes County has reported more than 15,291 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic and has reported 279 virus-related deaths, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. About 15,700 antigen cases have been reported; antigen cases are results from rapid virus tests.

Statewide, Georgia has reported more than 1,945,000 cases since the start of the pandemic, with about 31,486 virus-related deaths – which is about 100 more deaths statewide in the past week, according to the GDPH.