Why are COVID cases now dropping in Chattanooga?

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Chattanooga’s worst COVID surge yet may finally be behind us.

“We’ve seen a rather substantial drop consistent with the numbers that are being reported by the health department,” says  Dr. Jay Sizemore with Erlanger.

He says that relief from the mounting death toll might still be weeks away.

“People who were a case three weeks ago may still be in the hospital today and may die next week.”

He says that the biggest hurdle remains getting enough people vaccinated – especially those under 50.

“Certainly the boosters are also going to be useful but the most useful thing is to get the percentage of people who are unvaccinated – get that percentage to go down by getting these first doses.”

And while he says the Mu variant is no longer detectable in the U-S, that doesn’t mean we couldn’t have another surge from a new variant on the horizon.

“If we’re not prepared or we’re not ready for it I think certainly we’re at risk for a surge.”

But after the battering that local health systems got in August and early September, he says this is a reason to breathe a sigh of relief.

“It’s nice to be able to feel like that you’re able to address the health needs of the community more completely when you’re not dealing with the throws of the pandemic.”

Hamilton County still has a ways to go on the vaccination front.

As of Tuesday, the number of fully vaccinated residents was still under 50 percent.

“I think the more that we can continue to message that to the community, the better off we’ll be for the future.”