Hamilton County reports 'concerning number' of new COVID-19 cases

Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department Administrator of Health Services Becky Barnes
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department Administrator of Health Services Becky Barnes

Hamilton County's number of confirmed COVID-19 cases jumped 21 as of Thursday's count, from 213 to 234 total cases. The number of deaths remains 13.

Health department administrator Becky Barnes said during a news conference Thursday that there have been a concerning number of new cases over the past few days.

"We do not attribute the recent increase in cases to us starting to reopen our community," Barnes said.

The new positive cases are primarily among critical infrasture workers, such as construction workers and manufacturing industry workers, who kept working throughout shelter-at-home orders that are now easing.

They're also seeing an increase among large families and multi-generational homes.

View our COVID-19 tracker here.

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