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August 12 COVID-19 update: 1,478 new cases, 18 additional deaths reported in Tennessee

Metro reports 129 new cases, ICU bed availability dips to 10%
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Posted at 9:37 AM, Aug 12, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-13 10:18:56-04

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Tennessee Department of Health reported 1,478 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.

Statewide, there have been a total of 126,393 cases and 87,290 Tennesseans have recovered. As of August 12, there are 37,814 active COVID-`19 cases in Tennessee.

Eighteen additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported Wednesday. TDH has attributed a total of 1,289 deaths to COVID-19.

In Tennessee, 5,554 total people have been hospitalized for COVID-19, an increase of 90 people in the last 24 hours.

Metro Nashville Public Health officials reported 129 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing Davidson County's total number of cases to 23,434.

Of those total cases, Metro says 23,379 are confirmed. There have been four new probable cases in the past 24 hours.

Probable cases refer to those that do not test positive in a diagnostic test but do have supporting epidemiological and clinical evidence that a COVID-19 infection has occurred. If a person is a close contact of a COVID-19 case and has a clinically compatible illness, he or she meets the criteria to be a probable case. Additionally, if a health care provider diagnoses a person with clinically compatible illness with COVID-19, this person meets the probable case criteria.

Health officials say two additional confirmed deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours, a 65-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman, both with underlying health conditions.

As of Wednesday, 201 people in Davidson County have died after a confirmed case of COVID-19. Including both confirmed and probable cases, 210 deaths have been attributed to the virus. So far, 20,384 individuals have recovered.

Metro's ICU bed availability has dropped to 10%. Bed availability below 10%, is considered in the red for Nashville's key metrics, whereas the goal is 20%.


Metro also released the following data:

New cases per 100,000 people: 28.4
Seven-day percent positive of COVID-19 tests: 13.1

Available hospital beds: 14 percent
Available ICU beds: 10 percent

The MPHD COVID-19 Hotline received 42 calls on Tuesday, August 11, 2020.

Total number of cases: 23,434
Cases reported in the past 24 hours: 129

Cases by sex
Male: 11,738
Female: 11,388
Unknown: 308

Deaths by race
Asian 6
Black/African American 83
Other 13
White 105
Pending 3

Cases by race
Asian 2.1%
Black/African American 16.6%
Other Race 21.2%
Pending 20.2%
Two or More Races 0.4%
Unknown 10.6%
White 29.0%

Cases by age

Unknown55
0-101,138
11-202,373
21-307,000
31-404,768
41-503,303
51-602,318
61-701,399
71-80662
81+418
Total23,434
Recovered20,384
Deaths210
Total active cases2,840


On Tuesday, the Tennessee Department of Health reported the state's second-highest single-day increase in deaths and highest single-day increase in hospitalizations.

MORE TENNESSEE COVID-19 COVERAGE

See all our coronavirus coverage here

COUNTY-BY-COUNTY CASES IN TENNESSEE

What is COVID-19 (a.k.a. the new coronavirus?)

According to the World Health Organization, coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. Examples include the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV)and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. COVID-19 stands for "Coronavirus disease 2019," which is when this strain of the coronavirus was discovered.

What are the symptoms?

The CDC says patients confirmed to have the 2019-nCoV reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with:

  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Or at least two of the following symptoms:

  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Repeated shaking with chills
  • Muscle pain
  • Headache
  • Sore throat
  • New loss of taste or smell

At this time, the CDC believes symptoms could appear as soon as two days after exposure, or as long as 14 days.

Prevention

The CDC is recommending "common sense" measures such as:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.