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February 21 COVID Update: Tenn. reports 1,129 new cases, 18 deaths

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Posted at 9:39 AM, Feb 21, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-21 16:57:22-05

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Tennessee Department of Health reported 1,129 new COVID cases and 18 additional deaths on Sunday.

This follows a week of several testing site closures, due to the winter storms.

The state's total case count is now at 765,137. Today's percent positive rate is 8.11%.

So far 11,133 Tennesseans have lost their lives to the virus.

There are currently 1,010 patients hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The state also reported 1,335 new recoveries in the past 24 hours.

Metro's three community assessment centers were closed most of last week. Today Metro health officials reported 111 new cases.

Due to the winter storms, COVID-19 testing has been slowed over the past week, but the 7-day rate of positive tests has continued to decline to 5.3%, a full percentage point lower than last Sunday.

One additional death was reported, a 70-year-old man. The Metro Public Health Department said 581 people have died from a confirmed case. Including both probable and confirmed cases, 620 deaths have been attributed to the virus.

In Davidson County, there has been a total of 88,733 known COVID-19 cases, 86,145 of which are now considered recovered or inactive. Currently, 1,968 cases remain active.

MPHD released the following data on cases in Davidson County:


New cases per 100,000 people: 26
Seven-day percent positive of COVID-19 tests: 5.3
Available Middle Tennessee hospital beds: 18 percent
Available Middle Tennessee ICU beds: 14 percent

Cases by sex:
Male: 42,051
Female: 45,923
Unknown: 758

Cases by age:

Unknown141
0-104,208
11-209,014
21-3024,766
31-4017,227
41-5011,768
51-609,964
61-706,532
71-803,247
81+1,866
Total88,733
Inactive/Recovered86,145
Deaths620
Total active cases1,968

Total number of tests conductedTotal positive/probable resultsTotal negative resultsPositive results as percentage of total
993,923101,398892,52510.20%


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.