Hamilton County is averaging 174 new COVID-19 cases a day and a 13.9% positivity rate for new tests in the past week after the third straight day of more than 210 new infections reported by the health department.
As of Thursday, there were 1,700 active cases in the county and 115 confirmed hospitalizations, both record highs for the second straight day. Of those hospitalized in Hamilton County, 34 patients are in intensive care and more than half reside in another county. The virus has killed another Hamilton County resident, for a total of 120 since the pandemic began.
The growing number of active cases is pushing Hamilton County Schools closer to a “Phase 2” hybrid schedule, in which students who are enrolled in in-person learning would only go on campus two days a week, with three days a week of virtual instruction.
The threshold for a transition is a five-day average of 1,470 active cases or more, and that average is currently at 1,444.
In addition to the five-day average of active cases, the district considers the average number of positive cases, hospitalizations, patients in intensive care, teacher absences and student absences to determine the phase of learning.