Hamilton County officials on Thursday confirmed that a much more contagious variant of the coronavirus was spreading in the Chattanooga region, even though they had presented the first detailed plans for a third vaccination site that would open in Enterprise South Nature Park on Friday.
The province’s vaccination efforts are expanding to the third site, as the levels of cases continue to fall. The initiative comes when Mayor Jim Coppinger confirms the presence of the variant for the first time.
“You’ve heard a lot about variants across the country. We identified it in Hamilton County,” Coppinger said during a lively Thursday afternoon. ‘It just means it’s much more contagious [strain] of this virus. ‘
Coppinger told the Times Free Press after the livestream he was referring to COVID-19 samples analyzed by Baylor School researchers, who presented their findings at the COVID-19 Joint Task Force meeting.
Elizabeth Forrester, a Baylor school scientist, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed that several patients from the Chattanooga region whose samples had been sent to Baylor for testing were infected with the B117 variant, which is usually the British variant is called.
According to the CDC, B117 spreads easier and faster than other variants. Some reports from the UK suggest that B117 may be associated with an increased risk of death, but more studies are needed to confirm this finding.
The Department of Health begins giving doses at Enterprise South to those with appointments on Friday at 9 p.m.
Sabrina Novak, director of administrative services for the health department, presented a map of the traffic flow through the park. Dose seekers drive the one-way road through a short loop in the park, with a waiting area, a screening station and a section of road for people to pull over and wait to ensure there are no adverse reactions. the vaccine is not.
“The beautiful thing about the Enterprise South location is that although we start with the small loop, we actually have the opportunity to expand it to a medium route and a large route as well. If at any stage we want to increase the number “By increasing the agreements that go through this property, we have the flexibility to do so,” Novak said.
As of Wednesday, more than 59,000 doses of vaccinations have been given in Hamilton County, and the province has averaged about 850 new first-dose vaccinations per day in the past week, according to data from the Hamilton County Department of Health. From Monday, provincial residents aged 65 and over, as well as workers in phase 1b, will be eligible for vaccines.
The decision to extend the age cap and include workers in childcare and pre-school as well as K-12 teachers and school staff will add tens of thousands of people to the appropriate pool, as provincial officials continue to say the vaccine supply is limited.
Coppinger said Thursday the goal is to get 80% of Hamilton County vaccinated and asked residents to talk to people who are reluctant to get 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.