ATLANTA — Over 15,000 Georgians have now died of COVID-19, according to new numbers released on Friday.

The death toll is currently 15,007 after the state reported 20 new deaths on Friday. Another 2,212 deaths were likely to have been caused by COVID-19.

The last 1,000+ deaths from the coronavirus have been reported in the last 10 days. Georgia reached 14,000 deaths on Feb. 16.

[SPECIAL SECTION: COVID-19 Vaccine in Georgia]

Over 800,000 people have been infected across the state.

The deadliest period for Georgia since the pandemic began around January 16, when an average of over 100 people were reported to have died a day in the state. The current 7-day average of new deaths is 69.

The grim new milestone comes the day after Gov. Brian Kemp announced that he will expand the criteria of those eligible to get the vaccine to teachers, people with mental and physical disabilities and parents of medically fragile children on March 8.

[LINK: Where to find the COVID-19 vaccine in Georgia]