Elizabeth Fite

American households can now order free, at-home COVID-19 tests — which many across the Chattanooga region have struggled to find amid the current omicron surge — online through a new federal website that launched Tuesday.

Updated COVID-19 mortality data from the Tennessee Department of Health reveals that September 2021 - the height of the delta surge that affected on average younger and predominantly unvaccinated residents - was the deadliest month of the pandemic for Hamilton County so far.

Staffing concerns are top of mind for Hamilton County Schools officials as the district kicked off the new year and a new semester amid a COVID-19 surge fueled by the much more contagious omicron variant with fewer tools at their disposal to control it.

At least one case of someone infected with both influenza and coronavirus - a condition being dubbed "flurona" - has been detected in Hamilton County, according to the director of a local COVID-19 testing lab.

Starting in the new year, the Tennessee Department of Health will stop reporting COVID-19 data on a daily basis and move to weekly updates instead at a time when the omicron variant is fueling a record-breaking surge in new cases across the state.

After a record year of giving in 2020, ongoing pandemic recovery, equity and social justice stayed top of mind, and Chattanoogans reached into their pockets to create what's proven to be another strong year for charitable giving.

As the omicron variant drives an increasing number of COVID-19 infections in fully vaccinated people, a new data dashboard from the Tennessee Department of Health offers the most detailed picture of these so-called "breakthrough cases" in the state to date.

Tennessee health officials are scrambling to increase depleted stock of monoclonal antibody treatments amid a nationwide shortage as all but one version of the drugs they've relied on to keep COVID-19 patients out of hospitals are proving ineffective against the omicron variant.

The coronavirus pandemic hit Felicia Pace's six-person family especially hard.

Less than a month since it was first detected in the United States, the new omicron variant of the coronavirus has by far taken over as the dominant strain in the country and region.

More than 20,000 Tennesseans have died because of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, but almost 2,700 of those lives lost are just now coming to light as the state shores up data and reporting lags through the end of the year.

New data from the city of Chattanooga reveals large gender and racial disparities in portions of local government tasked with making key decisions on how the city grows, develops and functions.

COVID-19 vaccines were called "liquid gold" when the first shipment arrived in Chattanooga a year ago.

The omicron variant of the coronavirus has been reported in Hamilton County, health department officials confirmed Thursday, though it's likely been spreading undetected locally for several days, if not weeks, due to limited testing.

The government and health insurers made moves early in the pandemic to limit out-of-pocket costs to obtain COVID-19 services - such as testing and treatment - during the public health crisis.

The state board that oversees licensed Tennessee physicians voted during a special session Tuesday to remove a policy from its website stating that physicians who create or spread COVID-19 vaccine misinformation or disinformation could face disciplinary action — but members said the policy itself still stands.

Long-awaited oral antiviral pills to combat mild to moderate COVID-19 at home could be available in Tennessee as soon as next week, according to the state's top health official.

Tennessee's ability to detect the presence of coronavirus variants remains extremely limited as the new variant omicron draws worldwide attention, leaving public health officials largely in the dark in terms of knowing if omicron is in the state.

After over two months of steady improvement, key metrics used to track the Chattanooga region's COVID-19 outbreak have risen slightly over the past week.

The Erlanger Board of Trustees' decision last month to remove the hospital's chief of staff is drawing concern from physicians even outside the health system.