NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – The Tennessee Department of Health has confirmed additional cases of COVID-19 across the state on Wednesday, July 8.
The health department reported 2,472 new cases, bringing the state to a total of 55,986 total cases, a 5% day-to-day increase since Tuesday. Of the total cases, 55,567 are confirmed and 419 are probable.
The 2,472 new-cases now stands as Tennessee’s highest single-day new case total, surpassing the previous record set on July 3 with 1,822 cases.
Over the last seven days Tennessee’s average of new daily cases has climbed to 1,524.
TDH also confirmed 20 additional deaths, bringing Tennessee up to 685 total deaths.
Out of the confirmed positive cases, 32,736 have recovered, an increase of 909 recoveries.
The latest number of hospitalizations went up by 73 to 3,023. 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 55,986 cases, 28,997 are male (52%), 25,996 are female (46%), and 993 are pending (2%).
Tennessee has conducted 950,540 tests across the state with 894,554 negative results. The percentage for positive cases increased .1% to 5.9%. Wednesday’s update added 29,739 tests to the state’s total.
Earlier Wednesday, Metro Public Health Department officials reported 12,752 cases of COVID-19 in Davidson County.
On Tuesday, The Metro Coronavirus Task Force released the newest ‘heatmaps’ for Davidson County which show a new cluster of cases in downtown Nashville over the last few weeks.
In its Wednesday morning update, the Shelby County Health Department reported 12,467 cases of COVID-19 in the county.
In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, several counties have issued mask requirements. Other counties are strongly encouraging the use of masks but are not requiring them at this time.
On July 2, Mayor John Cooper announced Nashville will move back into a modified version of Phase Two of the city’s road to reopening plan.
Under the new order, bars must remain closed for a minimum of 14 days. Restaurants, gyms, and high-touch businesses may open at 50% capacity, retail stores at 75% capacity, and gatherings must be limited to 25 people. Basketball courts, dog parks, splash pads, skate parks, and recreational sports leagues will remain open in Phase Two.
On Monday, a group of Nashville bar owners is seeking a restraining order against Metro and state officials, calling COVID-19 related restrictions unconstitutional.
Last week, Governor Bill Lee signed an Executive Order to extend the State of Emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic to August 29, 2020. On Tuesday, the governor announced $81 million in COVID-19 aid, relief, and economic security funding is available for K-12 schools and higher education institutions to help with plans for a safe reopening.
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.
