While the COVID-19 cases in Chattooga County are substantially less than they were this time last year, there was a slight jump in the number of cases reported over the past week locally.  The previous report showed only one new COVID case in Chattooga County, but numbers released this week by the Georgia Department of Public Health show that there were five new cases reported over the past week in the county.  Earlier this year, the state health department moved from a daily COVID reporting system to a weekly reporting system.  Surrounding counties also saw an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases being reported over the past week.