The Hamilton County Health Department will begin providing free COVID-19 testing again for adults while supplies last as the continued surge of coronavirus cases strains Chattanooga’s limited testing capacity and residents struggle to find timely, cost-effective options – an issue not seen since the early days of the pandemic.
Starting Monday, free testing through the health department will be available at the Riverpark vaccination site off Amnicola Highway. Unlike the department’s former COVID-19 testing operation, testing at the Riverpark will be self-administered and is only available for individuals 18 years and older.
Health Department Administrator Becky Barnes said during a news briefing Friday that the number of people calling the department’s hotline in need of COVID-19 testing has risen dramatically, and the department no longer has access to the resources that allowed it to offer the same large-scale community testing as earlier in the pandemic.
In the past two weeks, Hamilton County has experienced a 115% jump in new COVID-19 cases compared to the two weeks prior, and younger, unvaccinated individuals continue to account for a large portion of new cases, Barnes said.