A daily snapshot of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, includes, among other information, the daily number of new cases and the daily positivity rate. (Graphic by Tennessee Department of Health)

COVID-19 cases surged up this week in Anderson County and four adjacent counties—Campbell, Knox, Loudon, and Roane—to the highest levels since near the peak of the delta surge in mid-September. The positivity rate was very high, more than 20%, in all five counties.

On Wednesday, Anderson County reported 80 or more cases for the second day in a row, the highest since September 16. The 80 new cases reported Wednesday followed the reporting of 87 new cases on Tuesday, according to Tennessee Department of Health data.


A daily snapshot of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, includes, among other information, the daily number of new cases and the daily positivity rate. (Graphic by Tennessee Department of Health)

 

COVID-19 cases surged up this week in Anderson County and four adjacent counties—Campbell, Knox, Loudon, and Roane—to the highest levels since near the peak of the delta surge in mid-September.

On Wednesday, Anderson County reported 80 or more cases for the second day in a row, the highest since September 16. The 80 new cases reported Wednesday followed the reporting of 87 new cases on Tuesday, according to Tennessee Department of Health data.

It’s not clear if the spike in cases in the five counties, including Anderson, was related to the new omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease. The Tennessee Department of Health was not available for comment Friday while state offices were closed. However, the omicron variant has caused a quick, steep rise in cases in other countries and in other parts of the United States.

If the surge continues, it would be the fourth in Anderson County since the pandemic began March 20, 2020. The last surge, the delta surge, was the third of the pandemic in the county, and it peaked at 152 new cases on September 10.

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UT-Battelle donation supports Roane State’s Middle College program

Roane State Community College President Chris Whaley and Alan Icenhour, deputy director of operations for Oak Ridge National Laboratory, hold a replica of the $34,000 check that ORNL contractor UT-Battelle awarded the Roane State Foundation to help with college expenses for Roane State Middle College students. Also pictured is Roane State’s Interim Middle College Director Susan Pearson, Roane State Vice President for Student Learning Diane Ward, Roane State Foundation Executive Director Scott Niermann, Deborah Miller of Roane State’s Grants Development Office, Roane State Foundation Board Member Joy Goldberg, former ORNL Community Relations Manager Wade Creswell, Roane State Foundation Scholarship Specialist Pam Rudnitzki, and several RSCC Middle College students. (Photo submitted by Roane State)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

The tradition of funding scholarships for Middle College students enrolled in Roane State Community College’s innovative program is going strong and continues to help participants reach long-term goals.

A $34,000 annual contribution from UT-Battelle helps cover tuition and other costs for students from Roane County’s five high schools to attend Middle College. This year, 57 Roane County students are enrolled in the curriculum.

UT-Battelle is the contractor that manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory, located in Roane County, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. Middle College, now in its sixth year, is a two-year program for high-achieving high school students who want to get a head start on college.

High school juniors enrolled in Middle College take college courses at one of Roane State’s campuses in the mornings and return to their respective high schools in the afternoons. That way, they can graduate from high school at the same time they earn an associate degree from Roane State. Graduates can then transfer to other colleges and enroll as juniors.

[Read more…]

Roane State helps with experiment to provide high-speed Internet access to rural communities

Roane State Community College played a crucial role in an experiment to get high-speed Internet to rural communities currently lacking what’s become an essential component of modern life. (Photo by Yvette Gooden/University of Tennessee)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Roane State Community College played a crucial role in an experiment to get high-speed Internet to rural communities currently lacking what’s become an essential component of modern life.

It’s an effort to bridge the digital divide in Roane County, where about 30 percent of households lack access to robust, affordable broadband internet.

That includes some 6,000 students who must have internet access for online learning.

Internet access “is paramount in current situations such as COVID-19 and the remote learning requirements it presents,” said Egon Hillermann. He’s the director of ROANEnet, an organization that advocates for improving high-speed internet access.

[Read more…]

Read more about the Roane County mask order

A daily snapshot of COVID-19 cases in Roane County on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020, includes, among other information, the daily number of new cases and the daily positivity rate. (Graphic by Tennessee Department of Health)

The executive order for face coverings that was issued by Roane County Executive Ron Woody on Monday could be in effect through December 29 unless Woody and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee extend the order.

Woody announced Monday morning that he was going to invoke the authority to mandate face masks in Roane County as authorized by Lee’s order in July.

The mask mandate does not apply to:

[Read more…]

Roane County requires masks

A graph shows the number of new COVID-19 cases in Roane County by month since the pandemic began in March. Note: The data for November is through Nov. 22, a partial month. (Graph by Oak Ridge Today)

Face masks are now required in Roane County to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Roane County Executive Ron Woody announced the mask mandate on Monday morning. It is effective immediately.

“I hope this community will take this order without causing more divisions among our citizens,” Woody said. He hopes no law enforcement will be needed.

The west end of Oak Ridge is in Roane County, although most of the city’s residents live in Anderson County.

Roane County’s cases and deaths have risen during the past month, Woody said. Roane County has reported almost four times as many COVID-19 deaths so far this month, 15, than in the previous high month—four in September. The county has reported more new cases so far this month, 717, than in the previous high month—543 in October.

[Read more…]

Roane reports seven COVID deaths in three days

This graph shows COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations by month in Roane County. Note: The data for November is through Nov. 19, a partial month. (Graph by Oak Ridge Today)

Seven COVID-19 deaths were reported in three days in Roane County, according to state data.

The seven deaths were reported in data published by the Tennessee Department of Health on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Roane County has reported 11 deaths from COVID-19 this month. That’s more than half of the county’s 21 total deaths due to COVID-19.

Anderson County has reported seven of its 25 deaths due to COVID-19 this month.

[Read more…]

Charts: COVID-19 cases, deaths, hospitalizations in Anderson, Knox, Roane

This graph shows COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations by month in Anderson County. Note: The data for November is through Nov. 17, a partial month. (Graph by Oak Ridge Today)

We have included some charts in this story about COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospitalizations in Anderson, Knox, and Roane counties. Here are a few more charts that we didn’t include there, with data through Tuesday, November 17.

See our earlier story here for more information.

[Read more…]

Anderson, Roane report five more COVID deaths

This graph shows the number of COVID-19 deaths by month in Anderson, Knox, and Roane counties. Note: November is a partial month. This data is through Nov. 17. (Graph by Oak Ridge Today)

Anderson and Roane counties reported five more deaths due to COVID-19 on Tuesday, and Knox County reported another nine deaths.

November is the deadliest month for COVID-19 in all three counties, and there are about two weeks remaining in the month. Nine deaths have been reported in both Anderson and Roane counties so far this month, and 30 deaths have been reported in Knox County.

Of the five deaths reported Tuesday, two were in Anderson County, and three were in Roane County.

The nine deaths in Roane County this month are more than the eight reported in all of the previous months.

[Read more…]

Halfway through, November has most COVID deaths in Anderson, Roane

This graph shows COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations by month in Anderson County. Note: The data for November is through Nov. 15, a partial month. (Graph by Oak Ridge Today)

More COVID-19 deaths were reported in Anderson and Roane counties during the first two weeks of November than in any previous month. That means, with two weeks remaining, November is already the worst month of the pandemic for deaths in both counties.

If current trends continue, there could also be more hospitalizations this month than in any previous month in both counties.

Anderson County reported four more deaths due to COVID-19 between Friday and Sunday, and five since Wednesday. The county has had six more hospitalizations in the past seven days.

Roane County reported four more deaths since Tuesday and seven additional hospitalizations.

[Read more…]

November already tied for deadliest month for COVID-19

A chart of COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospitalizations in Anderson County since March. Note: November is a partial month. (Chart by Oak Ridge Today)

In less than two weeks, November is already tied for deadliest month for COVID-19 in Anderson County, and if current trends continue, the county could have the most hospitalizations this month.

Since Tuesday, Anderson and Roane counties have reported six deaths and nine hospitalizations.

By Friday, five deaths due to COVID-19 had been reported in Anderson County in the first 13 days of November, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Health. That means November is already tied for September as deadliest month.

Three of the deaths were reported between Wednesday and Friday.

There have been 10 hospitalizations in Anderson County since November 1. That’s already tied with October, the second-worst month, and on track to surpass July, the worst month for hospitalizations. There were 16 COVID-19 hospitalizations in Anderson County in July.

Three of the new hospitalizations were reported Thursday.

[Read more…]