Chattanooga-area COVID-19 levels ‘extraordinarily high’

Medical worker holding Coronavirus COVID-19 NP OP swab sample test kit, nasal collection equipment, CDC submitting form, reverse transcription RT-PCR DNA molecular nucleic acid diagnostic procedure covid tile coronavirus tile covid test testing tile / Getty Images Medical worker holding Coronavirus COVID-19 NP OP swab sample test kit, nasal collection equipment, CDC submitting form, reverse transcription RT-PCR DNA molecular nucleic acid diagnostic procedure covid tile coronavirus tile covid test testing tile / Getty Images

By Elizabeth Fite August 1, 2022 3 min read

An increasing number of counties in the Chattanooga region are now at high risk for COVID-19 as omicron subvariant BA.5 continues to drive a nationwide surge in cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Across the United States, counties with high COVID-19 risk levels also continue to increase, with nearly 46% of counties considered high risk as of Monday.

The BA.5 subvariant, which according to the CDC now makes up roughly 82% of all COVID-19 cases in the country, is the most contagious version of the coronavirus yet and better than any prior strain at evading immunity from previous infection and vaccination.

The CDC recommends that people in high-risk areas wear face masks indoors in public and on public transportation, stay up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines and get tested and isolate from others if they have symptoms. But in the Chattanooga region, public face mask use and vaccination uptake remains low.