New COVID-19 cases are trending down in Hamilton County in the past week, following one of the deadliest weeks for the virus locally.
The Hamilton County Health Department announced 99 new cases Wednesday, with 1,738 cases remaining active. The county is averaging 88 new cases a day in the past week, and as of Wednesday 59 people were hospitalized with the virus.
Rae Bond, chairwoman of the county COVID-19 task force, noted during a weekly news conference that cases are spiking among people between 11 and 20 years old. Since Aug. 1, cases in the age group increased by 50%, the largest jump among the various age brackets.
"We've got some concern that they can share that with their parents and grandparents who may be at risk in more at-risk groups over time, so we want to monitor this closely, and we need to encourage people of all ages to continue safe practices," Bond said Tuesday. "Even though younger adults tend not to be as severely impacted by the virus, they could be asymptomatic and carry the virus home to their parents or grandparents or other folks with health challenges, so that's a continuing trend we want to monitor."
Bond said the local testing work group is looking at potential testing sites for long-term testing throughout the end of the year.
The county reported seven deaths since last Wednesday, even as the virus shows signs of improving in the area.
When accounting for per capita cases, such as the number of daily new cases per 10,000 residents, Hamilton County remains in the middle compared to surrounding counties. These per capita calculations allow for helpful comparisons between urban and rural areas.
Here is what the coronavirus data is showing in the past week.
Where cases are rising
Cases jumped significantly in several rural Tennessee counties in the past week. Average new cases per 10,000 residents in Polk County moved from 2.72 to 6.37. Similarly, new cases per 10,000 residents in Marion County jumped from .99 last week to 2.27 this week.
Average new per capita cases also increased in McMinn, Meigs, Rhea and Sequatchie counties in Tennessee.
Dade County, Georgia, was the only county in Northwest Georgia to see an increase in cases per 10,000 residents in the past week, moving from 1.50 to 2.55.
Where cases are falling
Cases fell across North Georgia in the past week. Whitfield County, Georgia, dropped from averaging 4.24 new cases per 10,000 residents last week to 2.06 this week. Gordon County, Georgia, experienced a similar drop from 4.55 to 2.92 new cases a day per 10,000 residents. Cases also fell in Catoosa, Chattooga, Murray and Walker counties in Georgia.
Counties in Northeast Alabama dropped, too, with Jackson County moving down from 4.99 new cases a day per 10,000 residents last week to 2.55 this week. DeKalb County dropped from 2.63 to 1.85.
Cases also decreased in Bledsoe, Bradley, Grundy and Hamilton counties in Tennessee.
Contact Wyatt Massey at wmassey@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249. Follow him on Twitter @news4mass.