NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Metro Public Health officials reported 944 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. Eight additional deaths were reported.
This brings Davidson County's total number of cases to 59,883. Right now, there are 6,315 active cases, an all-time high.
Health officials said eight new confirmed deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours -- a 92-year-old man with a pending medical history, along with a 77-year-old man, a 76-year-old woman, a 74-year-old man, a 70-year-old man, a 68-year-old woman, a 56-year-old woman and a 48-year-old man, all with underlying health conditions.
As of today, 412 people in Davidson County have died after a confirmed case of COVID-19. Including both confirmed and probable cases, 426 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19.
So far, 53,142 individuals have recovered after having the virus previously.
ICU bed availability dipped to 6%. Anything below 10% is considered to be in the red category for Nashville's metrics. Currently, five of Metro's metrics are considered "unsatisfactory."
Metro also released the following data:
New cases per 100,000 people: 92.41
Seven-day percent positive of COVID-19 tests: 15.9
Available Middle Tennessee hospital beds: 10 percent
Available Middle Tennessee ICU beds: 6 percent
The MPHD COVID-19 Hotline received 277 calls on Thursday, December 17, 2020.
Total number of cases: 59,883
Cases reported in the past 24 hours: 944
Cases by sex
Male: 28,647
Female: 30,731
Unknown: 505
Cases by age
| Unknown | 97 |
| 0-10 | 2,837 |
| 11-20 | 6,256 |
| 21-30 | 17,287 |
| 31-40 | 11,720 |
| 41-50 | 7,952 |
| 51-60 | 6,493 |
| 61-70 | 4,070 |
| 71-80 | 1,987 |
| 81+ | 1,184 |
| Total | 59,883 |
| Inactive/Recovered | 53,142 |
| Deaths | 426 |
| Total active cases | 6,315 |
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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.
