NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Tennessee Department of Health reported 3,344 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. The department said 27 additional deaths were also reported.
Today's update brings Tennessee's total number of cases to 296,725. The statewide death toll has risen to 3,788.
The positivity rate is at 13.46%, the sixth highest since the pandemic began.
Overnight hospitalization numbers continued to tick up slightly. Right now, 1,749 people are hospitalized with confirmed cases with another 224 possible cases awaiting confirmation -- that's a combined total of 1,914.
UPDATE: Overnight #COVID19 hospitalization numbers for Tennessee continued to tick up slightly; 1,749 people with confirmed cases, another 224 possible cases awaiting confirmation. Combined total: 1,914. pic.twitter.com/RlMLcwIkXS
— Phil Williams (@NC5PhilWilliams) November 12, 2020
Earlier in the day, Metro Public Health officials reported 540 new cases, bringing Davidson County's total number of cases to 38,802. Right now, there are 3,139 active cases and 35,331 have recovered.
Health officials said ICU bed availability has fallen to 6%.
The Metro Health Department said five additional confirmed deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours, an 81-year-old woman with a pending medical history, in addition to a 69-year-old man, an 81-year-old woman, a 92-year-old woman and a 95-year-old woman, each with underlying health conditions.
As of today, 321 people in Davidson County have died after a confirmed case of COVID-19. Including both confirmed and probable cases, 332 deaths have been attributed to the virus.
During Metro's weekly COVID-19 update, Dr. Alex Jahangir said 16 of those deaths were reported in the last week.
Currently, there are 292 people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Nashville hospitals and of those, 107 are in ICU. Additionally, Dr. Jahangir said one out of three are from outside Davidson County.
Mayor John Cooper is urging Nashvillians to not gather outside of people in your household, but if you must, limit it to just 10 people.
— Chris Davis (@ChrisDavisMMJ) November 12, 2020
That being said -- he has not announced any new formal restrictions.
Metro Nashville is seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases across Davidson County. In order to combat the surge and keep our city safe please follow the below recommendations: pic.twitter.com/xj5JA4taam
— Mayor John Cooper (@JohnCooper4Nash) November 12, 2020
With cases and hospitalizations skyrocketing across the state, Dr. Jahangir said we must act now to continue to flatten the curve by wearing masks and practicing social distancing. Even though this week brought some promising vaccine news, Jahangir said, “We cannot put our hope in a vaccine that’s many months away."
Jahangir also dismissed claims that COVID-19 is "not as bad as the flu,” citing a recent Vanderbilt report that detailed how the amount of statewide hospitalizations and deaths so far from COVID-19 are greater than the past two years of the flu.
“I want to be as direct as I can: if you want to keep your schools open. If you want to keep your economy open. If you want to go back to some normal sense of life, it’s very easy what we can do right now. Wear a mask…” he said. “The time for debate is over. Wear a mask to stop the spread of the [virus].”
Watch Metro's full briefing below:
Metro also released the following data:
New cases per 100,000 people: 50.43
Seven-day percent positive of COVID-19 tests: 8.7
Available Middle Tennessee hospital beds: 11 percent
Available Middle Tennessee ICU beds: 6 percent
The COVID-19 Hotline received 239 calls on Wednesday, November 11, 2020.
Total number of cases: 38,802
Cases reported in the past 24 hours: 540
Cases by sex
Male: 18,901
Female: 19,565
Unknown: 336
Cases by age
| Unknown | 65 |
| 0-10 | 1,848 |
| 11-20 | 4,273 |
| 21-30 | 11,547 |
| 31-40 | 7,694 |
| 41-50 | 5,185 |
| 51-60 | 3,964 |
| 61-70 | 2,416 |
| 71-80 | 1,123 |
| 81+ | 687 |
| Total | 38,802 |
| Inactive/Recovered | 35,331 |
| Deaths | 332 |
| Total active cases | 3,139 |
MORE TENNESSEE COVID-19 COVERAGE
- Mask mandate, capacity restrictions lifted in Nashville; what you need to know
- Tennessee, Metro to offer COVID-19 vaccine to children 12-15 years old
- Nashville's COVID-19 testing centers to adjust operating hours
- 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.
