Every week, the Times Free Press will publish five essential things to know about the coronavirus pandemic in the Chattanooga region. For more updated case count numbers and other data related to Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, visit timesfreepress.com/virus/.
Five things to know about COVID-19 in the Chattanooga region for the week ending on July 17:
1. Hospitals strain as patient increases continue: The number of COVID-19 patients in Hamilton County’s hospitals continues to increase, with an all-time high of 114 patients hospitalized in the county as of Thursday.
Why it matters: Although hospitalizations dropped back down to 81 on Friday, they continue their upward trend and remain at their highest point since the start of the pandemic. It’s normal for hospitalization numbers to fluctuate, and the data include unconfirmed COVID-19 patients who are awaiting test results, but the increase aligns with state officials reporting that hospitals in metro regions across Tennessee are becoming more strained. A concern with this rate of growth in cases and hospitalizations is that the health system may become too stressed to handle the patient load and surge plans will need to be activated. It also could mean hospitals will need to cut back on elective surgeries and procedures, which would be detrimental to both the health of the community and hospitals’ bottom lines. Hospital officials say we’re not there yet, but local leaders are looking at contingency plans, such as an overflow hospital at the Alstom site, if the trend continues. The county also reported a record 175 new cases in one day on Monday.
Read what officials said about the worsening trend of hospitalizations and new cases.