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December 20 update: Tennessee records 16,036 new COVID cases, 111 deaths for last two days

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Posted at 9:36 AM, Dec 20, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-20 15:41:01-05

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Tennessee Department of Health reported 16,036 additional cases and 111 new deaths as of Saturday.

The Department did not share a report yesterday due to the volume of tests and released both Saturday and Sunday's updates today.

This brings the state's total case count to 519,687 including 434,977 recovered or inactive cases. So far 6,071 Tennesseans have died from the virus.

The positivity rate from Saturday was 30.46%. Sunday's was 17.08%.

There are 2,789 patients currently hospitalized with a confirmed case of the virus.

Governor Bill Lee is making an address Sunday night at 7 to discuss Tennessee's surge in cases.

Earlier Sunday Metro Public Health officials reported 765 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday. Two additional deaths were reported.

This brings Davidson County's total number of cases to 61,556. Right now, there are 7,068 active cases, a new record in the county.

Two new confirmed deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours, a 54-year-old woman, and a 68-year-old man, both with underlying health conditions.

As of today, 415 people in Davidson County have died after a confirmed case of COVID-19. Including both confirmed and probable cases, 429 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19.

So far, 54,059 individuals have recovered after having the virus previously.


Metro also released the following data:

New cases per 100,000 people: 89.66
Seven-day percent positive of COVID-19 tests: 16.6

Available Middle Tennessee hospital beds: 13 percent
Available Middle Tennessee ICU beds: 7 percent

The MPHD COVID-19 Hotline received 269 calls on Saturday, December 19, 2020.

Total number of cases: 61,556
Cases reported in the past 24 hours: 765

Cases by sex
Male: 29,400
Female: 31,623
Unknown: 533

Cases by age

Unknown96
0-102,903
11-206,399
21-3017,761
31-4012,025
41-508,206
51-606,665
61-704,221
71-802,058
81+1,222
Total61,556
Inactive/Recovered54,059
Deaths429
Total active cases7,068


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.