Hamilton County officials confirmed Thursday that a much more contagious variant of the coronavirus is spreading in the Chattanooga region, even as they offered detailed close-ups of a third vaccination site that will open Friday in the park. business South South.
Vaccination efforts in the county extend to third place as case levels continue to decline. The initiative comes when County Mayor Jim Coppinger confirmed the presence of the variant for the first time.
“You’ve heard a lot of variations across the county. We’ve identified it here in Hamilton County,” Coppinger said during a live broadcast Thursday afternoon. “This means it is much more contagious [strain] of this virus “.
Coppinger told the Times Free Press after the live broadcast that he was referring to samples of COVID-19 analyzed by researchers at Baylor School, who presented their findings during the COVID-19 Joint Task Force meeting. week.
Baylor School scientist Elizabeth Forrester said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed that several patients in the Chattanooga region whose samples were sent to Baylor for testing were infected. by variant B117, commonly known as the UK variant.
According to the CDC, the B117 spreads more easily and quickly than other variants. Some UK reports indicate that B117 may be associated with an increased risk of death, but more studies are needed to confirm this finding.
The health department will begin giving doses to Enterprise South on Friday at 9 a.m. to those who have an appointment.
Sabrina Novak, director of administrative services at the health department, presented a map of traffic flow through the park. Dose-seekers will drive the one-way road through a short loop in the park, with a waiting area, a screening station and a section of the road for people to stop and wait to make sure that there are no adverse reactions to the vaccine.
“The most charming thing about the location of the South Company is that even though we start with the small loop, we actually have the opportunity to expand it to a medium and large route as well. So if at some point we want to increase the number of appointments that go through this property, we have that flexibility to be able to do that, ”Novak said.
As of Wednesday, more than 59,000 vaccine doses had been administered in Hamilton County, and the county averaged about 850 new vaccines per first dose a day over the past week, according to the Hamilton County Department of Health. . Starting Monday, county residents age 65 and older, as well as Phase 1b workers, will be able to receive vaccines.
The decision to expand eligibility by age and to include child care workers and preschoolers, as well as K-12 teachers and school staff will add tens of thousands of people to the eligible pool while county officials continue to say that the supply of vaccines is limited.
Coppinger said Thursday the goal is to vaccinate 80 percent of Hamilton County and asked residents to talk to people they know who are hesitant to receive a dose.
Contact Elizabeth Fite at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @ecfite. Contact Wyatt Massey at [email protected] or 423-757-6249. Follow him on Twitter @ news4mass.