NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — In Tennessee, the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 has increased to 42,297. It includes 592 deaths, 2,599 hospitalizations and 26,962 people who have recovered.
The numbers reflect two days worth of data because a system issue kept the department from releasing Sunday's data. Meaning, in two days, the count increased by 2,125 cases.
On Sunday, the Tennessee Department of Health said an "unplanned shutdown of the state surveillance system" prevented them from releasing the daily case counts. TDOH officials said they will resume sharing daily updates once the system is fully functioning.
Read their full response below:
"Due to an extremely high volume of both COVID-19 and other laboratory test results being reported, there have been recent intermittent backlogs of labs in queue to be imported into the NBS system. This issue is not unique to Tennessee, and is affecting all NBS jurisdictions. The TDH team has been working closely with the NBS vendor and Tennessee State Government information technology support to quickly implement fixes that have been identified," the department said in part.
TDH will not issue data on COVID-19 cases and tests on Sunday, June 28, due to an unplanned shutdown of the state surveillance system. Daily provision of case counts and additional data will resume once the system returns to full functionality. Full statement below. pic.twitter.com/2fMdMdVUcK
— TN Dept. of Health (@TNDeptofHealth) June 28, 2020
Metro Nashville officials saw a similar system Monday, keeping them from releasing the data. City officials said it was due to an unplanned shutdown of the state surveillance system.
Metro Public Health Department officials say that because they get their test results from the state, they can't provide the data today. Health officials said they expect to post the next daily update on Tuesday.
The Tennessee Department of Health shares COVID-19 test results with @NashvilleHealth to provide the data in our daily update. TDH alerted us to an issue that kept them from providing the data. We expect to post the next update with the latest information on Tuesday, June 30. pic.twitter.com/V4Gua7qyn5
— Mayor John Cooper (@JohnCooper4Nash) June 29, 2020
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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.
