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August 15 COVID-19 update: 131,747 confirmed cases, 1,345 deaths in Tennessee

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Posted at 9:36 AM, Aug 15, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-15 15:10:16-04

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Tennessee Department of Health reported 1,289 additional COVID-19 cases and 19 new deaths Saturday.

This brings the state to 131,747 total cases since the pandemic began, including 1,345 deaths.

There have been 5,813 hospitalization and 92,100 recoveries.

Earlier today Metro Public Health officials reported 228 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. ICU bed availability remain below 15%.

Including confirmed and probable cases, the total number of cases in Davidson County has risen to 24,036. Of those total cases, 23,973 are confirmed. Health officials said there has been one new probable case 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.

There have been no new confirmed or probable deaths reported in the past 24 hours.

As of Satuday, 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, 21,004 individuals have recovered. There are 2,822 active cases.


Metro also released the following data:

New cases per 100,000 people: 27.4
Seven-day percent positive of COVID-19 tests: 12.9

Available hospital beds: 16 percent
Available ICU beds: 12 percent

The MPHD COVID-19 Hotline received 50 calls on Friday, August 14, 2020.

Total number of cases: 23,808
Cases reported in the past 24 hours: 213

Cases by sex
Male: 12,017
Female: 11,722
Unknown: 297

Cases by age

Unknown56
0-101,167
11-202,450
21-307,142
31-404,867
41-503,398
51-602,384
61-701,452
71-80680
81+440
Total24,036
Recovered21,004
Deaths210
Total active cases2,822


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.