VALDOSTA – South Georgia Medical Center reported two COVID-19-related deaths in the past week, according to a hospital report issued this week.

SGMC has reported 296 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

The latest SGMC report comes after the U.S. surgeon general said Sunday he’s concerned about what lies ahead with cases of COVID-19 increasing in every state, millions still unvaccinated and a highly contagious virus variant spreading rapidly, according to the Associated Press.

Noting that nearly all coronavirus deaths now are among the tens of millions of people who haven’t received shots, despite widespread vaccine availability, Dr. Vivek Murthy painted an unsettling picture of what the future could hold.

“I am worried about what is to come because we are seeing increasing cases among the unvaccinated in particular. And while, if you are vaccinated, you are very well protected against hospitalization and death, unfortunately that is not true if you are not vaccinated,” Murthy said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

U.S. cases of COVID-19 last week increased by 17,000 nationwide over a 14-day period for the first time since late fall, and an increase in death historically follows a spike in illness. Much of the worsening problem is being driven by the Delta variant first identified in India, that has since hit the United Kingdom and other countries, Murthy said.

SGMC had 16 confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized Monday, according to the hospital.

Lowndes County has reported more than 7,950 virus cases since the start of the pandemic, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. The number marks an increase of about 30 new cases in the past week.

Lowndes has reported 147 deaths since the start of the pandemic, the GDPH reported.

There have been 5,270 antigen positive cases and 70 probable deaths since the pandemic began, according to the report.

The hospital has reported 1,635 confirmed positive COVID-19 patients released since the start of the pandemic.

SGMC passed 35,600 vaccinations with about 150 more vaccines administered in the past week.

According to a hospital representative, SGMC will update its COVID-19 numbers once a week – which has been Mondays the past couple of months – as hospital officials say there’s not much change to justify updating daily.

Statwide, Georgia has reported more than 910,500 confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide since the start of the pandemic, according to the GDPH. An increase of about 3,000 cases in the past week.

The GDPH has recorded nearly 18,620 confirmed virus-related deaths – an increase of more than 40 from last week – and 2,941 probable deaths. The state has reported 235,420 antigen positive cases since the start of the pandemic – an increase of about 2,000 statewide since last week.

More than 65,900 virus-related hospitalizations have been reported statewide since the start of the pandemic with 11,221 admissions into the intensive-care unit reported, data stated.

Georgia’s vaccinated population — which includes those with at least one dose and fully administered — is at approximately 8.5 million with roughly 81,700 people having a vaccine administered per 100,000, according to the GDPH. The GDP reports about 4.57 million have had at least one shot and 4.08 million are fully vaccinated.