NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) - The Tennessee Department of Health reported 1,092 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the total number of known cases in the state to 846,472.
Of the reported cases, 821,689 are now considered recovered while 12,595 remain active. Thursday's rate of positive new tests is 4.91%.
Seventeen additional Tennesseans have died from COVID-19. TDH has attributed 12,188 deaths to the coronavirus so far.
Hospitals statewide reported 828 current COVID-19 patients overnight.
Davidson County:
Metro Public Health officials reported 59 new cases of COVID-19 during their weekly update Thursday. Active cases have dropped 1,600 from last week's briefing.
Davidson County's total number of cases is now at 98,121. Right now, there are 1,447 active cases, the lowest so far this year. Dr. Alex Jahangir said the city's metrics are still trending in the right direction.
Three deaths have also been reported since last week's update. As of today, 903 deaths have been attributed to the virus.
This week's update comes after Metro announced it was lifting all of its COVID restrictions - except for the indoor mask mandate - on May 14.
While Nashville's metrics continue to trend in the right direction, Dr. Gill Wright said cases have increased at an “alarming rate” in states like Michigan, Oregon and Washington. In Michigan, hospitalizations are primarily among younger people, which includes “severe disease,” prompting the need for ventilators – a major change from earlier in the pandemic.
Wright said one of the reasons for this change is that a large percentage of 50+ group have been vaccinated, while many younger people have not yet gotten their shot.
Wright said if Nashville were to experience that type of surge, Metro would likely have to reinstate some of its restrictions.
So far, more than 40% of residents have received their first dose. However, Wright said the rate of vaccinations has slowed over the past two weeks.
Watch the full briefing below:
MORE TENNESSEE COVID-19 COVERAGE
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- 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.
