Post-holiday spike
A local provider who administers COVID-19 tests told me Thursday that the anticipated post-Thanksgiving “bump” in COVID-19 cases is officially upon us. His testing site alone had 56 new cases Wednesday, and sure enough, Thursday’s case report from the Hamilton County Health Department revealed the largest daily increase in cases seen since mid-September at 177.
With growing access to at-home tests (which don’t get reported), it’s likely that there are many more positive cases out there than what’s shown in the health department reports, and the rising number of hospitalizations also points to increased community transmission. In other words, the coronavirus is alive and well in our community, and now is not the time to let down your guard.
Stay safe,
– Elizabeth Fite, health care reporter, efite@timesfreepress.com