NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Tennessee Department of Health reported 1,994 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the total number of known cases to 770,940.
As of February 25, 745,200 cases are now considered recovered while 14,419 cases remain active. Testing for the virus has skyrocketed this week following last week's winter storm that caused many centers to close. Thursday's report of new tests showed a 272% increase from Monday and a 63% increase from Wednesday. Of the new tests reported Thursday, 6.45% were positive, which is the lowest daily rate of positive tests in 2021 so far.
Fifty-five additional Tennesseans have died from COVID-19. TDH has attributed 11,321 deaths to the virus.
Hospitals statewide reported 982 current COVID-19 patients overnight.
Metro Public Health officials reported 211 new cases of COVID-19 and four additional deaths.
Thursday morning's update comes as the city's community assessment centers reopened this week following last week's winter storms. Davidson County's total number of cases is now at 89,297; 87,052 of which are now considered to be inactive/recovered. Right now, there are 1,614 active cases in Metro.
Health officials said there have been four new confirmed deaths reported in the past 24 hours -- a 55-year-old man with a pending medical history, along with a 62-year-old man, a 78-year-old man and a 69-year-old man, all with underlying health conditions.
As of Thursday, 592 people in Davidson County have died after a confirmed case of COVID-19. Including both confirmed and probable cases, 631 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19.
This is the first week since Oct. 10 that none of Metro's metrics have been in the red category.
Watch Metro's full update below:
Metro also released the following updates:
New cases per 100,000 people: 15.1
Seven-day percent positive of COVID-19 tests: 7.3
Available Middle Tennessee hospital beds: 14 percent
Available Middle Tennessee ICU beds: 11 percent
The MPHD COVID-19 Hotline received 1,320 calls on Wednesday, February 24, 2021.
Total number of cases: 89,297
Cases reported in the past 24 hours: 211
Cases by sex
Male: 42,319
Female: 46,216
Unknown: 762
Cases by age
| Unknown | 142 |
| 0-10 | 4,238 |
| 11-20 | 9,110 |
| 21-30 | 24,917 |
| 31-40 | 17,333 |
| 41-50 | 11,835 |
| 51-60 | 10,026 |
| 61-70 | 6,556 |
| 71-80 | 3,264 |
| 81+ | 1,876 |
| Total | 89,297 |
| Inactive/Recovered | 87,052 |
| Deaths | 631 |
| Total active cases | 1,614 |
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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.
