NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Tennessee Department of Health reported 6,011 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday.
Tennessee has seen a total of 428,973 cases reported so far and 382,444 Tennesseans are now considered recovered from the virus. Statewide, 41,289 cases remain active. Thursday's rate of positive tests is 18.57%.
Sixty-nine additional people have died from COVID-19. TDH has attributed 5,240 deaths to the virus so far.
Hospitals across the state reported 2,558 active COVID-19 patients.
Metro Nashville Public Health officials reported 846 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing Davidson County's total number of cases to 52,479. Three additional deaths were reported.
Right now, there are 3,273 active cases and 48,813 have since recovered.
Health officials said there have been three new confirmed deaths reported in the past 24 hours, an 84-year-old woman and a 78-year-old man with underlying health conditions, along with a 75-year-old man with a pending medical history.
As of Thursday, 380 people in Davidson County have died after a confirmed case of COVID-19. Including both confirmed and probable cases, 393 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19.
Thursday's update comes as the FDA advisory panel is meeting to possibly approve the Pfizer vaccine for emergency use in the U.S. That vaccine advisory panel includes Meharry Medical College President and CEO Dr. James Hildreth.
Mayor John Cooper said Metro's 14-day average is at 513 – up 4% since last week. In November, leading up to Thanksgiving, hospitals saw about 318 patients a day, on average. Cooper said now, Nashville has exceeded 400 active hospitalizations.
Additionally, there have been twice as many hospitalizations in November than in July.
On Thursday night the Metro Board of Health voted to extend Nashville's current public health emergency order through the end of March 2021.
Watch the full update below:
New cases per 100,000 people: 67.84
Seven-day percent positive of COVID-19 tests: 15.5
Available Middle Tennessee hospital beds: 12 percent
Available Middle Tennessee ICU beds: 12 percent
The MPHD COVID-19 Hotline received 201 calls on Wednesday, December 9, 2020.
Total number of cases: 52,479
Cases reported in the past 24 hours: 846
Cases by sex
Male: 25,258
Female: 26,792
Unknown: 429
Cases by age
| Unknown | 82 |
| 0-10 | 2,482 |
| 11-20 | 5,562 |
| 21-30 | 15,417 |
| 31-40 | 10,299 |
| 41-50 | 6,958 |
| 51-60 | 5,584 |
| 61-70 | 3,471 |
| 71-80 | 1,655 |
| 81+ | 969 |
| Total | 52,479 |
| Inactive/Recovered | 48,813 |
| Deaths | 393 |
| Total active cases | 3,273 |
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.
