ATLANTA — Georgia added nearly 1,000 COVID-19 cases to its total count overnight.

As of 3 p.m. Thursday, the state reported 49,847 confirmed coronavirus cases and 2,147 related deaths, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

That’s up from 48,894 cases and 2,123 deaths Wednesday.

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 8,557 people have been hospitalized due to coronavirus and 1,872 people have been admitted into intensive care units; however, the website notes the number could be underreported. 

More than 496,300 Georgians have been tested for the virus and the state is reporting a 9% positive result rate.

The department reported black Georgians account for 15,887 cases while white Georgians account for 16,039 cases. The race of 13,848 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.