NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Tennessee Department of Health reported 4,914 new cases and 29 additional deaths Saturday. This is the state's worst week of the pandemic so far, in terms of new cases and deaths.
The state reported 34,056 new cases in the last 7 days, beating the previous record-high week, November 8, by about 4,000 cases
The weekly increase of 364 new deaths tops the previous record from two weeks ago by about 30 cases.
This update brings the total case count to 397,522. So far 4,905 Tennesseans have lost their lives to the virus. More than 1,000 of those deaths come from the last 3 weeks.
There are currently 2,465 patients hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Today's positivity rate of those tested is 18.73%, second highest so far, following Thursday's record of 19.99%.
The state also reported 5,794 new recoveries in the last 24 hours.
Earlier today Metro Public Health officials reported 595 new cases of COVID-19. Today's update brings Davidson County's total number of cases to 49,622.
There have been 13 new probable cases in the past 24 hours.
Probable cases refer to those that have supporting epidemiological and clinical evidence that a COVID-19 infection has occurred, regardless of test result. If a person is a close contact of a COVID-19 case and has a clinically compatible illness, he or she can meet the criteria to be a probable case. Additionally, a positive result of an antigen test from a respiratory specimen can meet the criteria to be a probable case. If a health care provider diagnoses a person with clinically compatible illness with COVID-19, this person meets the probable case criteria.
One additional confirmed death was reported in the past 24 hours, an 89-year-old woman with underlying health conditions.
As of today, 366 people in Davidson County have died after a confirmed case of COVID-19. Including both confirmed and probable cases, 379 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19.
As of Saturday, there are 3,277 active cases and 45,966 have recovered.
Metro also released the following data:
New cases per 100,000 people: 67.21
Seven-day percent positive of COVID-19 tests: 13.7
Available Middle Tennessee hospital beds: 13 percent
Available Middle Tennessee ICU beds: 9 percent
The MPHD COVID-19 Hotline received 208 calls on Friday, December 4, 2020.
Total number of cases: 49,622
Cases reported in the past 24 hours: 595
Cases by sex
Male: 24,001
Female: 25,213
Unknown: 408
Cases by age
| Unknown | 79 |
| 0-10 | 2,344 |
| 11-20 | 5,310 |
| 21-30 | 14,694 |
| 31-40 | 9,795 |
| 41-50 | 6,548 |
| 51-60 | 5,203 |
| 61-70 | 3,206 |
| 71-80 | 1,538 |
| 81+ | 905 |
| Total | 49,622 |
| Inactive/Recovered | 45,966 |
| Deaths | 379 |
| Total active cases | 3,277 |
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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.
