ATLANTA — Georgia has inched closer to 49,000 COVID-19 cases.

As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, the state reported 48,894 confirmed coronavirus cases and 2,123 related deaths, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

That’s up from 48,207 cases and 2,102 deaths Tuesday.

GDPH Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey said Tuesday she is worried the protests around Georgia could cause more infections of the coronavirus.

Hundreds to thousands have gathered in Atlanta during the past five days to protest police brutality stemming from George Floyd’s death by a Minneapolis police officer. Despite wearing masks, social distancing is near impossible in those close quarters.

“When you have this many people gathered together in close proximity,” Toomey said, “you run the risk of viral transmission.”

The department reports 8,419 people have been hospitalized due to coronavirus and 1,841 people have been admitted into intensive care units; however, the website notes the number could be underreported. 

More than 482,000 Georgians have been tested for the virus and the state is reporting a 9% positive result rate.

The department reported black Georgians account for 15,709 cases while white Georgians account for 15,695 cases. The race of 13,507 cases is listed as unknown.

Tuesday, the Department of Public Health started updating numbers once daily at 3 p.m. to allow more time to coordinate with reporting facilities and verify numbers before posting.