NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – The Tennessee Department of Health has confirmed additional cases of COVID-19 across the state on Monday, June 29, 2020. The department announced the update included two days of data since it was not able to release numbers on Sunday.
The health department reported 2,125 new cases, bringing the state to a total of 42,297 total cases, a 5% day-to-day increase since Saturday. Of the total cases, 41,949 are confirmed and 348 are probable.
TDH also confirmed eight additional deaths, bringing Tennessee up to 592 total deaths.
Out of the total positive cases, 26,962 have recovered, an increase of 803 recoveries.
The latest number of hospitalizations went up by 35 to 2,599. A note on the department’s website states this total is an indication of the number of patients that were ever hospitalized during their illness and not an indication of the number of patients currently hospitalized.
Of the 42,297 cases, 22,213 are male (53%), 18,996 are female (45%), and 1,088 are pending (3%).
Tennessee has processed 776,858 tests across the state with 734,561 negative cases. The percentage for positive cases remains around 5.4%. Monday’s update added an additional 28,629 processed tests to the state’s total.
The state health department did not issue data on COVID-19 cases and tests on June 28 due to an unplanned shutdown of the state surveillance system. It was the first day since reporting began during the pandemic that Tennessee did not release updated numbers.
The system issues also affected some of the state’s other health departments. The Metro Public Health Department did not issue a COVID-19 update on Monday due to the unplanned shutdown the state reported on Sunday. Shelby County Health Department also reported it would not be releasing numbers on Monday due to the system issues.
COVID-19 in Tennessee
Governor Bill Lee signed an Executive Order to extend the State of Emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic to August 29, 2020.
Last week, the Metro Public Board of Health moved to enforce a new mandatory mask order to the city of Nashville and Davidson County. Public Health Order 8 went into effect Monday. Anyone found in violation of the order can be cited with a Class C misdemeanor, but that does not go into effect until after July 3.
On June 26, News 2 obtained documentation of a lawsuit filed in the United States District Court that joins two Broadway establishments and its respective managing partner in an ongoing lawsuit against the city and state. The lawsuit lists Kid Rock’s, Honky Tonk Central, and their managing partner Timothy Stephen Smith as additional plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed back in May by The Local Spot and its owner Geoffrey Reid.
Tootsies Orchid Lounge will temporarily close starting Monday to re-sanitize the building. This comes after isolated cases of COVID-19 downtown. Although the lounge says it’s been sanitized multiple times a day, they want to thoroughly re-sanitize to protect employees and customers, said Tootsies’ Media Manager Jeff Eslick.
Officials with the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) said 182 inmates and 17 employees have tested positive for COVID-19. Of those cases, 22 inmates and 11 employees have recovered.
Tennessee Dept. of Health updates format
On June 12, the Tennessee Department of Health announced changes to its format for sharing COVID-19 data. The department’s total number of cases and total deaths now include both laboratory-confirmed cases and probable cases as defined in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance case definitions. – Learn more about the changes here.
