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Five things to know about COVID-19 in the Chattanooga region for the week ending Dec. 11

Staff Photo by Matt Hamilton / Santa exchanges a high five with Drew Waddell, 5, through his inflatable snow globe (doubling as a coronavirus barrier) during the Tractor Swing event at the Collegedale Commons on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020. Staff Photo by Matt Hamilton / Santa exchanges a high five with Drew Waddell, 5, through his inflatable snow globe (doubling as a coronavirus barrier) during the Tractor Swing event at the Collegedale Commons on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020.

By Wyatt Massey December 11, 2020 4 min read

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 Dec. 11.

1. Hospitalizations across region near capacity, showing the strain on local health systems: Providers in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia pushed to the brink.

Why it matters: In the past week ICU beds in the city of Athens in McMinn County, Tennessee, hit 100% occupancy and the city of Cleveland in Bradley County reached 99% occupancy. Similarly, the 10-county North Georgia Health District reported being at 97% capacity. Under normal circumstances, staff can be called in to help care for an influx of patients, but that is more of a challenge as staffing shortages due to the COVID-19 surge plague most of the nation.