ATLANTA — Georgia has almost reached another somber marker: nearly 2,000 of the state’s residents have died from COVID-19.

As of 1 p.m. Friday, the state reported 45,670 confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,974 related deaths, according to the Department of Public Health.

The department reports 7,852 people have been hospitalized due to coronavirus and 1,780 people have been admitted into intensive care units; however, the website notes the number could be underreported. 

More than 4,400 health care workers have tested positive for coronavirus — 81% of whom are female, 18% of whom are male and 1% were unknown.

More than 532,000 Georgians have been tested. However, 81,736 of the tests recorded in the total test count are antibody tests — which find signs of previous infection, not current.

The department reported black Georgians account for 14,947 cases while white Georgians account for 14,364 cases. The race of 6,251 cases is still unknown and 6,411 cases are designated as missing.

Beginning next week, the Department of Public Health will update the dashboard once daily at 3 p.m. to allow for more time to coordinate with reporting facilities and verify numbers before posting.