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Hamilton County responds to Gov. Lee’s criticism, says COVID-19 testing is ‘running smoothly’

Staff Photo By Robin Rudd / Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee holds a press briefing at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga University Center last Friday on the state's COVID-19 pandemic response.
Staff Photo By Robin Rudd / Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee holds a press briefing at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga University Center last Friday on the state's COVID-19 pandemic response. Staff Photo By Robin Rudd / Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee holds a press briefing at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga University Center last Friday on the state's COVID-19 pandemic response.

By Sarah Grace Taylor 3 min read

Hamilton County says COVID-19 testing is “running smoothly” despite criticism on Friday from Gov. Bill Lee.

At a news conference late Monday, County Mayor Jim Coppinger acknowledged recent criticism from the governor about the county’s low testing rate, but said that changes in the last two weeks have improved the county’s community testing.

“The testing is running smoothly,” Coppinger said, citing the county’s new testing lab and newer drive-thru screening facility. “It did take us a couple of weeks to get it up and running, and that’s because we didn’t have a lab here in Hamilton County.

“It’s going very well.”

Lee said on a Friday visit to Chattanooga that Hamilton County has lagged behind other major cities, adding that the number of reported coronavirus tests conducted in Hamilton County is less than half the per capita rate for the state as a whole, according to state reports.