NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Tennessee Department of Health confirmed an additional 1,359 COVID-19 cases in the state on Tuesday.
The state has had 53,514 cases reported since the outbreak began, a number which includes 53,116 confirmed cases and 398 probable cases.
Probable cases refer to those that do not test positive in a diagnostic test but might have tested positive in a different form of test like an antibody or serologic test. Probable cases also could refer to cases that were never tested but exhibited the factors consistent with a COVID-19 infection, like symptoms and close contacts of confirmed cases.
The health department said 31,827 Tennesseans are now considered recovered from the virus.
As of Tuesday, 665 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 statewide, an increase of 12 in the last day. The state also reported 53 new hospitalizations for COVID-19, bringing the total ever hospitalized for the virus to 2,950.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper says the city is seeing a "dangerous new spike" in COVID-19 case numbers.
On Tuesday, Cooper said Davidson County's 14-day case average and transmission rate have both increased.
Watch the briefing below:
On June 22nd, the city's 14-day average was 133. As of Tuesday, it had nearly doubled to 264. Cooper said the transmission rate is now at 1.2. The goal is to be less than 1.0.
Cooper also said that while Davidson County is conducting a record number of testing, the positivity rate has grown to 16.2% -- which used to be at or around 10%. Dr. Alex Jahangir said this means the virus is "still very rampant" in the community.
Click here to see more of Metro's key metrics for reopening.
Metro health officials also reported 149 additional cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Including both confirmed and probable cases, Metro health officials announced a total of 12,352 cases, an increase of 149 in the past 24 hours. Of those, 12,338 are confirmed cases.
There have been five new confirmed deaths reported in the past 24 hours. Health officials said one case was a 30-year-old male with no reported or known medical history. The other four deaths reported in the past 24 hours were a 67-year-old male, a 68-year-old male, a 78-year-old male and a 93-year-old female, all of whom had underlying health conditions.
As of Tuesday, 119 people in Davidson County have died after a confirmed case of COVID-19. Including both confirmed and probable cases, 122 deaths have been attributed to the virus.
Rules requiring masks in many public settings are in place.
— NashvilleHealth (@NashvilleHealth) July 7, 2020
If you do not yet have a mask, you can pick one up at our handout location in the parking lot at the Lentz Public Health Center (2500 Charlotte Pike.) pic.twitter.com/nbKIuN4k7s
So far, 8,218 individuals have recovered.
Metro Health officials also released the latest heat maps, which show total and active cases.
Metro health officials also released the following data:
Available hospital beds: 27 percent
Available ICU beds: 28 percent
The MPHD COVID-19 Hotline received 435 calls on Monday, July 6, 2020.
Total number of cases: 12,352
Cases reported in the past 24 hours: 149
Cases by sex
Male: 6,449
Female: 5,655
Unknown: 248
Total cases by age
| Unknown | 1,762 |
| 0-10 | 515 |
| 11-20 | 1,041 |
| 21-30 | 2,860 |
| 31-40 | 2,215 |
| 41-50 | 1,606 |
| 51-60 | 1,157 |
| 61-70 | 632 |
| 71-80 | 335 |
| 81+ | 229 |
| Total | 12,352 |
| Recovered | 8,218 |
| Deaths | 122 |
| Total active cases | 4,012 |
This comes after Metro reported its second-highest single-day total on Monday. The highest was 608 new cases on July 2.
MORE TENNESSEE COVID-19 COVERAGE
- Mask mandate, capacity restrictions lifted in Nashville; what you need to know
- Tennessee, Metro to offer COVID-19 vaccine to children 12-15 years old
- Nashville's COVID-19 testing centers to adjust operating hours
- Walmart pharmacies in Tennessee now offering COVID-19 vaccines
- Donate to the COVID-19 Middle Tennessee Emergency Response Fund
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.
