NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The COVID-19 case count continues to skyrocket in Tennessee. Last week, Tennessee saw its highest seven-day total of the pandemic. The numbers in Davidson county continue to climb as well.
As of Monday, Davidson County reported a total of 33,699 cases, which includes 2,490 active cases. The health department reported available hospital beds in Nashville are at 17% and available ICU beds are at 13%.
NewsChannel 5 spoke with Metro Public Health Department Chair Dr. Alex Jahangir who says one of the biggest contributing factors to the rising numbers is social gatherings with friends and family.
"I think people are getting complacent and letting their guard down so I think it’s important to not put your guard down when you’re home and around loved ones," said Dr. Alex Jahangir, head of the Metro coronavirus task force, " they're the ones you’ll take your mask off and hang out with that is where the spread is happening."
Another important observation, Dr. Jahangir says since September the incidence with kids between ages 0 to 17 getting the virus increased by 93 percent. This as several students had in-person classes at the start of fall. Metro has since paused their "back to school plan."
But Dr. Jahangir says these rising numbers aren't just a county problem, it's a state problem.
"Nashville doesn’t live on an island by itself, there’s no walls around Nashville," said Dr. Jahangir, "what happens in our region impacts what happens in Nashville."
Sumner County, Wilson County, and Williamson county all have their mask mandates reinstated. Dr. Jahangir hopes other counties will follow suit.
