April 29, 2020
Story by Zoe Haggard / Contributing writer and data analyst
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Tennessee is 10,366 today after rising by 314.
Davidson County reported 71 of the new cases. It continues to have the most number of cases–at 2,454–followed by Shelby County, which reported 56 new cases, with 2,432.
Hancock and Pickett, which both border Kentucky, remain the only counties with no confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Trousdale County reported 72 new cases after the state began testing inmates at a correctional facility there earlier this week.
The Tennessee Department of Health reports a total of 168,549 people have been tested, an increase of 6,621 since yesterday. This comes after the department opened up 16 drive-thru testing sites across the state this past weekend. Eight more sites are planned for this upcoming weekend of May 2.
Seven new deaths were added, totaling to 195 statewide. McMinn County reported its first death of the outbreak. Sumner County reported two new deaths, while Rutherford, Williamson, and Wilson counties each saw one new fatality.
Women make up 41 percent of those deaths, while men make up 59 percent.
Recoveries are up by 219 and total 5,140, while hospitalizations grew by 132, to 1,013.
Gov. Bill Lee said he plans to let hair salons start re-opening next Wednesday, May 6.
See below for summaries of daily data our team has archived from the Tennessee Department of Health’s Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) page, as well as updates from previous days.
Statewide totals for Tennessee
Tennessee case counts by age category
COVID-19 deaths, by age category
Case counts by Tennessee county
April 28, 2020
Story by Zoe Haggard / Contributing writer and data analyst
Tennessee has more than 10,000 confirmed cases today after the total rose by 134, to 10,052.
Across the state, the COVID-19 death toll stands at 188 after increasing by four since yesterday. Cumberland County reported its first death. Rutherford County also reported one death and now has nine total.
Recoveries rose by just over 200, to 4,921, while hospitalizations rose by 57, to 894.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced Tuesday that gyms and exercise facilities across the state will be allowed to reopen starting Friday, at least in the 89 counties overseen by the Tennessee Department of Health.
The state has released guidelines designed for exercise facilities, he said. Retail stores may reopen Wednesday. Restaurants were allowed to open Monday.
April 27, 2020
Story by Ashley Perham/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Tennessee reported only 251 new COVID-19 cases today, a reprieve from a five-day run of over 400 new cases per day.
There have been 9,918 confirmed cases, 4,720 recoveries, 837 hospitalizations and 184 deaths. Recoveries today account for 48 percent of all cases.
State officials have blamed the influx of new cases on increased testing. The first weekend of free testing for any Tennessean (4/18-19) resulted in 11,230 tests, but only 1.2 percent of them were positive, according to WPLN. This weekend, the state conducted 7,103 tests.
Two of today’s new deaths were in Davidson County, and one was from out of state.
Davidson County’s 102 newly reported cases made up 40 percent of today’s increase, while Shelby County’s 31 new cases contributed 12 percent. McMinn County, north of Chattanooga, reported 51 new cases, or 20 percent of the statewide increase.
Rutherford County reported 18 new cases for a total of 423. After surpassing Williamson County in cases on Saturday, it remains in fifth place for most cases, behind Davidson, Shelby, Sumner and Bledsoe.
Restaurants were allowed to reopen their dine-in areas today in 89 counties. The governor’s office has encouraged all restaurants to take the Tennessee Pledge and limit their capacity to 50 percent along with taking other health and safety measures. Retailers will be allowed to open with similar guidelines on Wednesday.
April 26, 2020
Story by Zoe Haggard/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Today saw a record single-day increase of 478 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, pushing Tennessee’s total to 9,667.
Of those new cases, record daily increases occurred in Tennessee’s 21 to 30 and 31 to 40 year age groups. Just under 130 appeared among 21- to 30-year-olds, making them the group with the most number of cases at 1,870. Another 94 of the new cases appeared in the 31 to 40 year age group, putting them in second with a total of 1,630. The 51- to 60-year-olds have the next highest number with 1,592.
Rutherford County’s case count grew by 18 and totals to 405. Shelby County experienced a jump of 210, while Davidson County’s number increased by 100.
The state’s death toll is at 181 after it rose by three today, while hospitalizations are at 828 total. Recoveries rose by 60 to 4,527.
April 25, 2020
Story by Zoe Haggard/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Confirmed cases increased by 463 today, totaling the state’s count to 9,189.
This marks the fourth consecutive day on which COVID-19 case numbers have risen by more than 400 amid Tennessee’s plans for reopening by the end of this month.
Record increases of confirmed cases for the youngest age groups were also reported today. The 10 years and younger age group experienced an increase of 15, while those aged 11 to 20 years jumped by 56.
Davidson County, which surpassed Shelby County in confirmed cases yesterday, widened its lead today reporting 2,136 total cases compared to 2,086 in Shelby. As the county with the largest population, Shelby saw an increase of 85 new cases, and Davidson, with the second largest population, experienced the highest increase in the state, with 125 new cases emerging.
Bledsoe County, which has seen surging case counts this past week due to inmate testing, experienced an increase of one case today. Bledsoe remains the county with the third highest case number in the state: 586.
Murfreesboro mayor, Shane McFarland, said the city is “not anticipating” an extension of its safer-at-home order as it develops a three-phase plan for reopening the city. Rutherford County has a total of 387 confirmed coronavirus cases after rising by 23. The county reported one death today.
Deaths are up by 10 and total to 178, with Humphreys County reporting its first COVID-19 death today.
Recoveries continue to increase as today saw nearly 100 new recoveries statewide. Recoveries make up 49 percent of the state’s confirmed cases so far. Another 49 percent have not yet recovered, and 2 percent of the state’s confirmed cases have resulted in deaths.
Calls to the Tennessee Poison Center about overexposure to cleaning supplies have increased, according to the center’s medical director, as have hospitalizations of people who ingested hydrogen peroxide in a misguided effort to ward off the coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control also reported a 20 percent jump in calls related to poisoning cases across the nation.
April 24, 2020
Story by Ashley Perham/ Contributing writer and data analyst
After its second day of surging case counts, Bledsoe County has jumped to third place for most COVID-19 cases in Tennessee. The case count rose by 234 today for a total of 585 in Bledsoe County. According to Governor Bill Lee’s office, the jump is due in part to positive tests at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex, which has over 2,500 inmates.
Both Davidson and Shelby County surpassed 2,000 confirmed cases today with 2,011 and 2,001, respectively. Davidson County passed Shelby County to become the county with the most cases for the first time since April 9. Rutherford County has the sixth most cases, with 364.
The Tennessee Department of Health reported a two-death decrease today, citing an error in Thursday’s data. Deaths stand at 168 with 8,726 cases, 808 hospitalizations and 177 recoveries. Recoveries still account for half of the total cases in Tennessee.
Lee unveiled guidelines Friday for restaurants and retailers to open at 50 percent capacity Monday and Wednesday, respectively, in 89 Tennessee counties. However, Tennessee will not be enforcing these guidelines directly. Shelby, Davidson, Madison, Hamilton, Knox and Sullivan will re-open their businesses separately.
April 23, 2020
Story by Zoe Haggard/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Four new coronavirus deaths were reported today, with one in Benton County – that county’s first fatality – one each in Davidson and Williamson counties, and a fourth in a pending location. The death toll now stands at 170, while 181 recoveries have been added and total to 4,192.
Total COVID-19 cases increased by 424 new cases, pushing the total to 8,266 across the state.
Of those new cases, 261 were reported in Bledsoe County. The county, which had reported only 11 cases as of Tuesday, now has the sixth-highest number of cases and is just behind Rutherford County, where 352 cases have been reported. The governor’s office attributes many of Bledsoe County’s cases to the testing of prisoner’s at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex. According to the state’s web site, the facility incarcerates just over 2,500 offenders.
Gov. Lee provided details today during his press briefing about the reopening of the state’s restaurants and retail services within the next few weeks. Generally, he said, restaurants would be allowed to open on Monday and operate at 50 percent capacity. Retail businesses would be able to open Wednesday and operate at 50 percent capacity, he said. He hinted that the guidelines to be released tomorrow will include requirements involving masks and temperature checks.
Six of Tennessee’s 95 counties will develop their own plans, which may not coincide with Gov. Lee’s, for reopening in accordance with their individual health departments. Major cities may also develop their own plans as the state works with local leaders to ensure them on what to open, and when and how, according to Lee.
April 22, 2020
Story by Ashley Perham/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Tennessee reported 448 new COVID-19 cases today, the largest single-day increase since the start of the pandemic. This spike is due in part to the inmate population tested last weekend, according to the governor’s office.
Nine new COVID-19 deaths were reported in Tennessee today, including Gibson County’s first, bringing the death total to 166.
There have been 4,012 recoveries, meaning that over half of the 7,842 confirmed cases have recovered. There have been 775 hospitalizations.
As of today, 55 percent of Tennessee counties have reported 10 or more COVID-19 cases. Eleven counties have over 100 cases. The five counties with the most cases continue to be Shelby (1,924), Davidson (1,872), Sumner (550), Williamson (365) and Rutherford (345).
Among Tennesseans ages 31-40, cases rose by 87 today to 1,358. Cases rose by 108 among Tennesseans ages 41-50 to 1,370. These rises are a record increase for each age group. The age category with the most cases continues to be 21-30 with 1,568.
Gov. Bill Lee talked about the data the state looked at to determine when to start the phased economy re-opening. Lee said the state looked for a downward trajectory of flu-like and COVID-like symptoms in hospitals. Both of these symptoms have declined in the past three weeks in the majority of hospitals, he said. Tennessee also had a 19-day decline in the growth rate of new COVID-19 cases, he said. Lee also said that antibody testing will start in the coming weeks.
April 21, 2020
Story by Zoe Haggard/ Contributing writer and data analyst
The number of deaths across the state remains low as the number rose by five to total 157. Four of those new deaths were reported out of Shelby County, while the fifth occurred in Davidson.
Davidson County also saw an increase of 44 new COVID-19 cases today, totaling to 1,719 cases. Shelby County continues to have the highest number of cases, having accumulated 34 new cases since yesterday, and now totals to 1,873. Rutherford’s total number grew by 10 and now has 338.
Nashville is set to extend the “safer-at-home” order through May 1 despite Gov. Lee’s decision to reopen the state at the end of the month.
Tennessee is said to be one of the first states to reopen within the next couple of weeks, along with Georgia and South Carolina, after the stay-at-home order sets to expire April 30, according to the governor.
April 20, 2020
Story by Ashley Perham/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Carroll County, home to Huntingdon, Tenn., reported its first COVID-19 death today as statewide deaths rose by four to 152. Putnam, Rutherford and Sumner counties also reported one death each.
Tennessee has had 7,238 COVID-19 cases, 730 hospitalizations and 3,575 recoveries. Four counties saw double-digit case gains: Shelby, 61; Davidson, 37; Tipton, 27; and Rutherford, 19.
Shelby County continues to have the most deaths, 35. Sumner has had 31 deaths, and Davidson, 19. Rutherford County has had seven deaths.
Gov. Bill Lee has announced the beginning phases of reopening the Tennessee economy, including letting the Safer At Home order expire April 30 and allowing some businesses to open April 27. Meanwhile on Sunday, several rallies were held across the state to protest the stay-at-home order.
The Tennessee Department of Corrections has announced that 170 inmates have COVID-19, 162 of which are at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex.
April 19, 2020
Story by Ashley Perham/ Contributing writer and data analyst
COVID-19 cases rose by 37 among the 11-20 age group in Tennessee today, the biggest single-day jump in that age group since the start of the outbreak. There have been 379 cases in this age group, but no deaths.
Madison County, home of Jackson, reported its first death today. There have been 148 deaths across the state so far.
Tennessee currently has 7,070 cases, 724 hospitalizations and 3,344 recoveries. Almost half of the COVID-19 cases reported so far have resulted in recoveries.
Tennessee has started releasing demographic data for deaths. Among victims whose race has been determined, 63 percent of the fatalities have been white, 34 percent have been black or African-American, 2 percent have been Asian, and 1 percent have been some other race or races. Six percent of the deaths have occurred in Hispanic/Latino patients.
The race of eight victims is pending classification, as is the ethnicity of nine victims.
While males and females in Tennessee contract the virus about equally (46 percent and 51 percent respectively); 60 percent of the COVID-19 deaths have been male, while only 39 percent have been female.
Davidson County’s 107 new cases accounted for a third of today’s 308-case rise. Shelby County’s 48 new cases accounted for 16 percent. Rutherford County’s seven new cases accounted for two percent.
April 18, 2020
Story by Zoe Haggard/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Hancock and Pickett counties remain the only Tennessee counties that have yet to report any coronavirus cases after Crockett County announced its first three cases today.
The number of cases rose by 173, totaling to 6,762 COVID-19 cases statewide. Of those new cases, 66 appeared in Davidson County, which has 1,531 cases, and 48 appeared in Shelby, which has the highest number of cases in the state at 1,730. Also, Rutherford, the county with the sixth-highest number of cases, reported seven new cases for a total of 302 cases as of today.
Recoveries increased by over 200 since yesterday and now total at 3,234, while hospitalizations are at 719.
COVID-19 deaths upticked by three, making the deaths total 145 for Tennessee.
More than 20 drive-thru testing sites opened today in Tennessee counties, including Rutherford, Williamson, Robertson, and Wilson. Hundreds of people attended, even those who were asymptomatic. This comes after Gov. Bill Lee announced Wednesday that free testing would become available so the state could decide the logistics of re-opening the state.
Health experts say ramping up testing nationwide will be a critical step in safely reopening the nation’s economy.
April 17, 2020
Story by Ashley Perham/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Despite reporting only one new death, Tennessee saw its COVID-19 case count by 327 today, the fourth-highest increase since late March. The largest increase, 444 cases, happened on April 1.
Rhea County reported a COVID-19 case today, leaving only three counties with no cases: Crockett, Hancock, and Pickett. Sevier County reported its first death.
Across Tennessee, there have now been 142 deaths, 6,589 cases, 711 hospitalizations and 3,017 recoveries.
As of today, the oldest person in Tennessee to contract COVID-19 is 100 years old. The age bracket with the most cases is still the 21-30 range, although it is only 110 cases ahead of the 51-60 range. Cases in those over 50 account for 93 percent of COVID-19 deaths.
Shelby County continues to lead the state in cases, with 1,682. The county’s cases account for 25 percent of all cases in Tennessee. Davidson has 22 percent of the cases, Sumner has 7 percent, Williamson has 5 percent, and Rutherford has 4 percent. These top five counties account for over 60 percent of the cases in Tennessee.
April 16, 2020
Story by Zoe Haggard/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Today’s coronavirus recovery count is the highest one-day increase, having jumped by 590 to total 2,786 confirmed recoveries.
Shelby County has the largest number of deaths in the state, 31, followed by Sumner with 27 and Davidson with 19.
The number of deaths today saw its first single-digit increase in two days with six new deaths reported. The total is now 141 across the state.
Putnam, Monroe, and Smith counties each reported their first COVID-19 deaths. Shelby County, after reporting two more deaths today, has the largest death toll in the state with 33 total deaths. Sumner follows in second with 28 total fatalities after reporting one death.
Total COVID-19 cases increased by 183 new cases and reached 6,262.
Of the new cases, 71 appeared in Shelby County. The county continues to have the highest number of confirmed cases in the state at 1,492.
Twenty-four new cases were reported out of Davidson County, making it the county with the second-highest number of cases at 1,307.
Rutherford County, with the sixth-highest number of confirmed cases, increased in the number by two, totaling to 271.
The curve of COVID-19 case numbers in Tennessee is flattening as the state has experienced two weeks of slowed growth due to the social distancing mandates ordered by the state. Medical officials say that any reduction of social distancing could lead to a chance for the virus to surge since herd immunity has yet to be developed with the virus’ outbreak. Social distancing measures have been effective in lessening the coronavirus’ impact. However, such practices may need to be continued indefinitely.
April 15, 2020
Story by Ashley Perham/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Three counties, Campbell, Jefferson and Fayette, reported their first deaths from COVID-19 today, as the statewide death toll rose by 11 to a total of 135.
Shelby County has the largest number of deaths in the state, 31, followed by Sumner with 27 and Davidson with 19.
Moore County, home of Lynchburg, reported its first case, one of 227 new cases that brought the state total to 6,079. Recoveries increased by 227 to 2,196. Only three of the state’s 95 counties – Crockett, Hancock, and Pickett – have reported no confirmed COVID-19 cases. A fourth county, Rhea, reported a case at the end of March but then rescinded the report and has reported no cases since.
In his daily news conference Wednesday, Gov. Bill Lee recommended that public schools remain closed for the rest of the academic year. The governor’s office has started a task force to support the wellbeing of children while they are out of school.
Lee also announced that starting this weekend, free testing for COVID-19 will be available to all Tennesseans no matter their symptoms. There will be several drive-through testing locations the next three weekends. Tennesseans can also get free tests five days a week at the health departments in every county. Rutherford County drive-through testing will be available 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the Rutherford County Health Department, 100 West Burton Street, in Murfreesboro.
April 14, 2020
Story by Zoe Haggard/ Contributing writer and data analyst
The statewide COVID-19 death total rose to 124 today after 15 more patients died. This is the largest day-to-day jump since last Thursday, which also saw 15 new deaths. April 6 still has the highest one-day jump, with 21 deaths having been reported.
Five of the deaths appeared in Shelby County while two were from Davidson County. Bradley County, next to Chattanooga, and Carter County, in the northeast part of the state, both reported their first deaths.
In all, Tennessee has 5,823 COVID-19 cases as of today. Over 200 new cases were reported, with 30 of those new cases appearing in Davidson County and 28 in Shelby County. Rutherford County, home to MTSU, saw an increase of only three new cases, bringing the total to 253.
Recoveries, however, increased by almost 300, coming to 1,969 recoveries across the state. Hospitalizations totalled 633 after climbing by 54.
The 21- to 30-year-old age range remains the group with the highest number of coronavirus cases, reaching close to 1,000.
April 13, 2020
Story by Ashley Perham/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Lake and Van Buren Counties confirmed their first cases of COVID-19 today, leaving only five Tennessee counties with no cases. Lake reported four cases, and Van Buren, one.
Eight more patients have died, bringing the statewide count to 109, 2 percent of the case total. There have been 5,610 cases, 579 hospitalizations and 1,671 recoveries.
Four of the eight new deaths occurred in Sumner County, three in Davidson, and one in Shelby.
Governor Bill Lee has extended the statewide Stay At Home Order until April 30. The order was supposed to expire tomorrow. He says the state will reopen businesses in May. Information about public school operations would be released Wednesday, the governor said.
Montgomery County, home of Clarksville, crossed the 100 case threshhold today with 102 cases. Shelby County, home of Memphis, has continued its five-day run as the county with the most confirmed cases, 1,331, followed by Davidson, with 1,207. Rutherford, with 250 confirmed cases, remains in fifth place.
April 12, 2020
Story by Zoe Haggard/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Tennessee reported no new COVID-19 deaths today and remains at 101 total deaths.
Also, 118 new recoveries emerged, coming to 1,504 recoveries, while 164 new cases were reported along with only 11 new hospitalizations. The statewide total number of COVID-19 cases is now 5,308.
The 21- to 30-years-old age group remains at the top for the most number of cases, with 1,112, This is followed by the 51- to 60-year-old age group, which has 986. Both age groups added 46 new cases today. The age group with the least amount of cases, at 61, remains the zero- to 10-year olds.
The counties that remain with no confirmed coronavirus cases are Crockett, Hancock, Lake, Moore, Pickett, Rhea, and Van Buren.
Shelby County had the biggest gain in the state with 85 confirmed cases, giving the county a lead total of 1,215. Davidson follows with 1,178 confirmed cases after today’s 67-case increase.
April 11, 2020
Story by Ashley Perham/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Confirmed deaths from COVID-19 reached triple digits in Tennessee, as fatalities rose by three to 101. There have been 5,144 cases and 556 hospitalizations.
Hawkins, Knox and Sumner counties each reported one of the three new deaths. The 101 deaths are only two percent of the total cases in Tennessee.
Shelby remains the county with the most confirmed cases: 1,130. Davidson is in second, with 1,111, followed by Sumner, with 435, and Williamson, with 312. Rutherford County comes fifth, having reported 235 cases.
The state has corrected its age demographic data, now showing that the largest percentage of cases remains in the 21-30 age range, with 1,066 cases accounting for 21 percent of all cases. This age range only has one death. Eighty-four percent of the deaths come from patients over 60 even though that age range accounts for only 22 percent of all cases. Confirmed recoveries have risen by 241 across the state to a total of 1,386.
The state still has 1,723 cases to categorize by race. But of the 3,391 categorized so far, 68 percent are white, while 24 percent are black or African-American, 2 percent are Asian, and the remaining 7 percent are some other race or races. In the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, whites account for 79 percent of Tennessee’s population, and blacks, 18 percent. Thus, the virus may be hitting the state’s black population disproportionately hard.
April 10, 2020
Story by Ashley Perham/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Tennessee is reporting 4,862 COVID-19 cases today and 98 deaths.
The average patient age has been 45 years old, with the youngest being less than 1 and the oldest, 99. The 21-to-30 age group remains the group with the most cases: 1,024, up by 33 from yesterday’s total. The 51-to-60 age group has the next largest case count, with 899, a 54-case increase over yesterday.
The age range with the largest amount of cases, 1,024, has been the 11-20 range with 21 percent of the cases. Yesterday, only 218 cases were reported in that age group. The age range with the highest amount of deaths, 31, has been those over 81, with 32 percent of the deaths.
Erroneous data on the Tennessee Department of Health’s web page Friday afternoon suggested a sharp increases in cases among the 11-to-20 age group. The department corrected the numbers, without comment, after several data users noted the inconsistency.
Shelby County reported 77 new cases, for a total of 1,083, widening its lead over Davidson County, which had 44 new cases for a total of 1,048. Rutherford County’s case count grew from 203 to 222. Overall, cases rose by 228, and deaths by four.
Bedford reported its first death of the outbreak, while fatalities rose by one apiece in Macon, Sumner and Williamson counties
Almost 60 percent of Tennessee’s cases have required no hospitalization, according to new data from the Tennessee Department of Health. Almost a quarter of confirmed cases have confirmed recoveries so far.
The state has also started listing nursing homes that have had two or more confirmed cases. Ten nursing homes are currently listed.
April 9, 2020
Story by Zoe Haggard/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Tennessee saw its second-largest increase in COVID-19 fatalities, with the count rising by 15 and totaling to 94 deaths across the state. Hamblen, Haywood, Marshall, and Wilson counties reported their first deaths.
Most of these deaths have occurred in the 71 to 80-year-old age group, where 24 deaths have occurred, followed closely by the 61 to 70 age group, with 23 deaths.
Davidson and Shelby remain the counties with the most number of confirmed cases, both surpassing 1,000 cases as well as reaching double-digit death counts. Shelby County’s 94-case increase pushed its total number of cases to 1,006, placing it at the top with two more cases than Davidson County.
Hospitalizations have risen to 505, but the number of confirmed recoveries had a record increase of 329 recoveries, totaling to 921 recoveries.
New modeling by Vanderbilt University announced on Thursday predicts the virus will not peak until June in Tennessee if the outbreak’s rate continues at its current pace. But lowering transmission rates through improved social distancing could pull the peak back to early or mid May, according to the model. Models vary, though. Modeling by the University of Washington predicts an earlier peak, in late April.
New unemployment claims in Tennessee have totaled 112,438 for the week ending April 4, according to state numbers released Thursday, compared to 94,492 for the week ending March 28, and 39,096 for the week ending March 21. For the week ending March 14, there were 2,702 new claims filed.
April 8, 2020
Story by Ashley Perham/ Contributing writer and data analyst
COVID-19 has infected 4,362 Tennesseans as of today, according to counts of cases confirmed by the state’s health department.
With Anderson County reporting its first death, there are now 79 fatalities from 18 counties, an increase of seven fatalities since yesterday. Decatur County reported its first case today; however, it had already reported a case on March 28 before dropping back to 0 cases. Hospitalizations rose by 41, to 449.
Also today, the Tennessee Department of Health released its first demographic data about the cases. The data includes race, ethnicity and sex. With 63 percent of the cases pending, 26 percent have been white, 7 percent are black or African American, 1 percent are Asian and 2 percent are multiracial or other. With 43 percent of the cases pending, 4 percent are Hispanic. So far, 52 percent of the cases have been female, 47 percent have been male, and 2 percent are pending.
State health officials said more complete breakdowns of race and ethnicity would be available in coming days.
John Prine, Nashville singer-songwriter and recipient of this year’s Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, died from the virus last night, news media including Nashville Public Radio reported. Prine’s wife recovered from the virus last month.
April 7, 2020
Story by Zoe Haggard/ Contributing writer and data analyst
The statewide coronavirus death count rose from 65 to 72 today.
Two of the deaths occurred in Davidson County, two in Shelby County, one in Williamson, and one in Montgomery County, with the seventh new death being listed as “pending.”
Shelby County, along with Sumner, have the highest death tolls, each reporting 15 deaths. Davidson and Hamilton counties follow with nine deaths each.
However, today’s rise in COVID-19 fatalities is fewer than yesterday’s 21-person increase, the highest since the state’s first death reports.
Eight counties remain with no confirmed coronavirus cases: Crockett, Decatur, Hancock, Lake, Moore, Pickett, Rhea and Van Buren.
There are 4,138 total confirmed cases across the state. Davidson remains the county with the highest number of cases, at 888, with Shelby following at 835 confirmed illnesses.
Today had the second-highest day-to-day rise in the number of hospitalizations, increasing by 56 and totalling to 408. Last Thursday had the highest daily jump in hospitalizations, with an increase of 63 across the state.
Gov. Bill Lee announced a $200 million grant yesterday for county and city governments to cover local expenses. The funds will be made available July 1, the start of the 2021 fiscal year.
April 6, 2020
Story by Ashley Perham/ Contributing writer and data analyst
There are 3,802 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Tennessee today. The statewide death toll, 65, has jumped by 21, the largest single-day jump since the state began reporting death totals. Sumner, Shelby and Hamilton have the highest death tolls with 15, 13 and 9, respectively. Macon County reported its first death today.
The Tennessean reported that there are 1,034 COVID-19 cases in Davidson County today, according to Metro Public Health Officials. State totals often lag behind county health department totals.
However, News Channel 5 reported today that the expected death toll in Tennessee has drastically dropped, according to a University of Washington study that the office of Governor Bill Lee has been using. While previous studies said Tennessee could see 159 deaths per day at the peak, the new study suggests that there will only be 25 deaths a day. The projected number of deaths now stands at 587 instead of 3,259.
April 5, 2020
Story by Zoe Haggard/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Eight counties in Tennessee remain with no confirmed COVID-19 cases as Henderson reported its first confirmed case today.
There are a total of 3,633 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state, about 0.05% of Tennessee’s total population. Tennessee has tested less than 1 percent of its population for the virus. In comparison, New York, which leads with the most number of coronavirus cases in the U.S., has tested about 1.45% of its population, according to a Sidelines Data Team analysis of testing data from the COVID Tracking Project and population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sumner County, with the third-highest number of cases, has begun to even out with about 15 to 20 new cases per day.
Blount County, home of Maryville, reported its first coronavirus death. The death total now stands at 44 across the state.
Inconsistencies have become evident in the county-level death and recovery data the state has begun releasing. For instance, the total number of recoveries was 416 yesterday but as of today has dropped to 295. The health department said in a tweet that the 416 figure was a data error. Also, Williamson County’s number of deaths is at two today after indicating zero yesterday, while Washington County numbers state no deaths today after two deaths were shown in the data.
April 4, 2020
Story by Zoe Haggard/ Contributing writer and data analyst
The total number of recoveries for COVID-19 cases increased by 168 since yesterday, totaling to 416 and standing as the largest single-day increase since the state began reporting them four days ago.
Montgomery and Washington counties reported their first coronavirus deaths, with Montgomery reporting one, and Washington, two. The state’s death totals are now at 43 out of the 3,321 confirmed cases.
Officials in Stewart County, on the Tennessee-Kentucky border near the Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area, reported their first confirmed case. Now only nine counties remain with no confirmed cases.
Sumner County leads in the state for the highest number of deaths at 10, while Davidson County continues to lead with the highest number of confirmed cases at 741.
The 21-to 34-year age group contains the most confirmed COVID-19 cases, having increased to 744 cases as of today. The 51- to 60- year age group ranks as the second highest for the number of confirmed cases with a total of 593.
Gov. Bill Lee said in Friday’s briefing that Tennessee is among the top states for testing per capita, having tested nearly 38,000 people.
April 3, 2020
Story by Ashley Perhapm/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Franklin and Hawkins counties reported their first COVID-19 deaths today as the statewide fatality count climbed from 32 to 37.
There are 3,067 cases of COVID-19 in Tennessee today, 248 confirmed recoveries, and 293 hospitalizations. Sumner County has the most confirmed deaths: 8.
Tennessee state parks are closed for the next 10 days, coinciding with the governor’s Stay At Home order. However, outdoor activities such as golf, tennis and hiking are still listed under the essential activities category.
Meanwhile, Rutherford County schools are postponing graduations until later in the summer. The graduations had been planned to take place in May in MTSU’s Murphy Center.
April 2, 2020
Story by Zoe Haggard/ Contributing writer and data analyst
Davidson County surged from 423 to 617 confirmed COVID-19 cases Thursday, surpassing Shelby County, which had pulled ahead of Davidson last Saturday but is now in second place with 570 cases.
Meanwhile, Jackson and Polk counties reported their first confirmed cases today, with Jackson accumulating two, and Polk, one. The additions leave only 10 out of the state’s 95 counties with no confirmed cases. All 10 share at least one border with an infected county, and one of the 10, Rhea County, reported a case earlier, then returned its count to zero.
Rutherford County, with the sixth-highest number of confirmed cases, has increased by about 30 since yesterday. Middle Tennessee State University has two confirmed cases among students living on campus.
Tennessee now totals at 2,845 confirmed cases.
Also today, Obion and Sullivan counties reported their first COVID-19 deaths, bringing the statewide death toll to 32.
Some 220 have been confirmed to have recovered from the virus, according to figures announced during Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s press briefing Thursday afternoon.
Gov. Lee has issued a mandatory “stay at home” order, according to the briefing. The order was issued after what appeared to be an increase in travel among Tennesseans, according to Gov. Lee.
April 1, 2020
Story by Ashley Perham/ Contributing writer and data analyst
COVID-19 has sickened 2,683 people in Tennessee and spread to 84 of the state’s 95 counties, including Clay, Grainger, Hickman and Lauderdale, which reported their first infections today, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.
The virus is responsible for 200 hospitalizations and 24 deaths statewide, the department’s figures indicate. Sumner County, just north of Nashville, has reported seven deaths, more than any other county in Tennessee. Davidson follows with four deaths; Shelby, with three; Hamilton and Williamson, with two each, and Greene, Knox, Marion, Rutherford, and Trousdale, each with one. The final fatality was a non-Tennessee resident.
The department has confirmed 137 recoveries. The largest group of sick Tennesseans fall in the 21-30 age group, followed by those in the 51-60 age group.
In other updates, Gov. Bill Lee has issued a safer at home order until April 14. The order restricts businesses that “cannot possibly safely operate” during this time. Essential business may still operate. Lee has urged Tennesseans in non-essential roles to stay home.
The Tennessean has reported that Lee’s administration told Tennessee lawmakers that the state will have hospital bed shortages and will need to use alternative sites such as convention centers, college dorms or hotels.
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