LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — If it feels like more and more of your family, friends, and co-workers have tested positive for COVID 19 recently, it’s not all in your head. On March 27, there were no new cases of COVID 19 is Tennessee. As of Monday, the state reported 3,504 new cases – the largest single day average since last September – in a trend that’s definitely headed the wrong way.

According to the most recent Tennessee Department of Health numbers, over half of Tennessee counties currently sits at a high risk for COVID 19 including Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Giles, Lincoln, and Moore counties. Tennessee currently ranks 13th in the nation for new COVID cases and hospitalizations have increased by 21 percent with just 232 total ICU beds available in the state as of last Tuesday. That’s 11 percent of all available ICU beds. Click here for a complete hospital capacity report.

In Moore County, you need only listen to anecdotal evidence to know that cases are spiking again. The community risk level is currently high in Moore County with 34 new cases in just the past two weeks, according to the state dashboard.

Bedford County reports the highest regional rate with 273 new cases in the most recent 14 days. Other regional new case rates in the past 14 days include Coffee County (302), Franklin County (225), and Lincoln County (118).

Of particular concern is the idea that local and state counts may be vastly unreported due to the unreliability of at home testing on the new variant. At home tests seem to be missing the initial diagnosis. Several locals who received a positive diagnosis at an area hospital tested negative multiple times using at-home kits.

Due to this trend, locals are encouraged to stay home and separate from others if they experience symptoms in order to avoid spreading it to others. Though COVID testing can not determine which variant a person might have, the BA.5 variant seems to be the dominant strain in the U.S. currently. Symptoms include fever, runny nose, coughing, sore throat, headaches, muscle pain, and fatigue.

Walk in testing is available at all state health departments including the Moore County Health Department, which is temporarily located at 12 Magnolia Drive in Lynchburg. Questions? Give them a call at 931-759-4251. •

{The Lynchburg Times is the only locally-owned newspaper in Lynchburg and also the only woman-owned newspaper in Tennessee. We cover Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}