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WEDNESDAY STORY: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Tennessee has risen to 970.
NewsChannel 5 is keeping an independent count of cases in the state, using information from both the Tennessee Department of Health and local health agencies.
Davidson County continues to have the highest number of cases in the state at 293. Shelby County has the second highest number of cases at 198.
According to the state department of health, the labs notify local jurisdictions first, which leads to some local health departments reporting higher numbers. They took to social media explaining the discrepancy saying, "Laboratory reports of positive cases are reported to metro and local health departments as soon as results are available. State numbers are updated at 2 p."
Three Tennesseans have died from complications with the novel coronavirus and 53 have been hospitalized.
Metro and Tennessee health officials have warned the growing demand for testing is leading to a longer turnaround for results, which might create a false impression that the curve is beginning to flatten in the state.
In Davidson County, the health department only reported four more cases from Tuesday to Wednesday.
"I believe this is a function of results that have come into the department and does not represent the beginning of a downtrend of this virus," said Dr. Alex Jahangir, with the Metro Board of Health.
On Tuesday, Governor Bill Lee asked all public schools to remain closed until April 24. He will hold another update on the state's response to the coronavirus outbreak at 3 p.m.
Below is a breakdown of the cases, using numbers from both TDH and local health departments:
- Anderson County - 3
- Bedford County - 1
- Blount County - 3
- Bradley County - 3
- Campbell County - 2
- Carroll County - 3
- Cheatham County - 7
- Chester County - 1
- Claiborne County - 1
- Cocke County - 1
- Cumberland County - 3
- Davidson County - 293
- DeKalb County - 1
- Dickson County - 5
- Dyer County - 2
- Fayette County - 3
- Franklin County - 1
- Gibson County - 2
- Greene County - 7
- Grundy County - 1
- Hamblen County - 2
- Hamilton County - 15
- Hardin County - 1
- Hawkins County - 1
- Houston County - 3
- Jefferson County - 4
- Knox County - 20
- Lewis County - 1
- Lincoln County - 1
- Loudon County - 3
- Madison County - 2
- Marion County - 1
- Maury County - 7
- McMinn County - 2
- Monroe County - 2
- Montgomery County - 6
- Overton County - 1
- Perry County -1
- Putnam County - 9
- Roane County -1
- Robertson County -15
- Rutherford County - 19
- Scott County - 1
- Sevier County - 2
- Shelby County - 198
- Sullivan County - 2
- Sumner County - 36
- Tipton County - 6
- Washington County - 7
- White County - 1
- Williamson County - 66
- Wilson County - 10
- Resident of another state/country: 100
- Pending: 81
The confirmed age ranges of patients in Tennessee are:
- 10 years old or younger: 12
- Between 11 and 20 years old: 46
- Between 21 and 30 years old: 224
- Between 31 and 40 years old: 144
- Between 41 and 50 years old: 109
- Between 51 and 60 years old: 105
- Between 61 and 70 years old: 80
- Between 71 and 80 years old: 43
- At least 80 years old: 14
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- 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.
