Oak Ridge Today

New COVID-19 daily case average drops again in Anderson County

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A graph shows confirmed new cases of COVID-19 in Anderson County through Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020. (Image courtesy Tennessee COVID-19 Case Tracking Coronavirus-19 Outbreak Response Experts (CORE-19) at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville)

Although it has climbed back up some, the average number of new cases of COVID-19 per day in Anderson County fell by about 50 percent in the week that ended Tuesday.

It was the second consecutive week of a smaller number of new cases per day, on average, of COVID-19 in Anderson County.

It’s not clear what led to the drop in new cases per day or whether it might be related to the more widespread use of masks, including at businesses that started requiring them in the second half of July.

In the week that ended Tuesday, August 11, there was an average of 9.7 new cases of COVID-19 per day in Anderson County. That’s a level not seen since the first half of July, after the growth in COVID-19 cases had started to accelerate in the county.

The average 9.7 new cases per day last week was about 50 percent fewer cases per day than the average 18.6 new cases reported each day in the previous week, the seven-day period that ended Tuesday, August 4.

But since Tuesday, the average number of cases per day has climbed back up a bit to 12.2.

The highest average number of new cases per day, as tracked by Oak Ridge Today, was in the week ending Tuesday, July 28, when there were about 24.7 new cases per day. July appears to have been the worst month of the pandemic in Anderson County so far.

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COVID cases reported at Woodland, Jefferson

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COVID-19 cases have been reported at Woodland Elementary School and Jefferson Middle School, school officials said this week.

The COVID-19 case at Woodland Elementary School was reported Thursday morning, and the case at Jefferson Middle School was reported Friday morning.

They are the seventh and eighth overall COVID-19 cases in Oak Ridge Schools and the sixth and seventh since July 15.

Oak Ridge Schools learned Thursday that a person at Woodland Elementary School had tested positive for COVID-19, Superintendent Bruce Borchers said in a letter to families on Thursday. The person has not been at Woodland since Friday, July 31, because he or she quarantined after a possible non-school exposure, Borchers said.

The potential exposure to students or staff was “extremely low,” the superintendent said.

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After May diagnosis, ECC employee still tests positive for COVID, but cleared to return to work

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A staff member at Oak Ridge Schools Extended Child Care was diagnosed with COVID-19 in late May, and on Monday, August 3, the employee still tested positive, Superintendent Bruce Borchers said.

A physician has cleared the staff member to return to work, Borchers said in a letter to families on Friday.

“The physician said that a person will likely continue to test positive several months after the initial virus, and that the individual is no longer contagious,” Borchers said.

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15 employees, 1 patient test positive for COVID at NHC

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NHC HealthCare of Oak Ridge is pictured above in August 2020.

Fifteen employees and one patient have tested positive for COVID-19 at NHC HealthCare, a nursing home in Oak Ridge.

NHC reported the positive test results and outcomes on its website.

The nursing home said the one patient who tested positive has recovered, and five of the 15 employees have recovered.

The patient was not hospitalized, NHC HealthCare said, and the nursing home has not reported any deaths among the 15 employees and one patient who tested positive.

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Total of 21 residents, two staff tested positive for COVID at The Groves

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The Groves at Oak Ridge, an assisted living facility on Emory Valley Road, is pictured above on Friday evening, July 24, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A total of 21 residents and two staff members tested positive for COVID-19 at The Groves at Oak Ridge, and two residents have died, an executive said Wednesday.

“Our thoughts and prayers go to their loved ones,” said Hollie Bailey, a registered nurse and regional director of operations and clinical services for Navion Senior Solutions. The Groves, an assisted living center on Emory Valley Road, is part of Navion Senior Solutions.

Bailey said 19 of the 21 residents have recovered from COVID-19, and three were set to be discharged from a hospital this week for physical therapy and strengthening before returning to The Groves.

The two staff members who tested positive have both recovered, Bailey said.

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New daily COVID case average declines in Anderson County

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A graph shows confirmed new cases of COVID-19 in Anderson County through Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. (Image courtesy Tennessee COVID-19 Case Tracking Coronavirus-19 Outbreak Response Experts (CORE-19) at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville)

The seven-day average of new daily cases of COVID-19 in Anderson County fell Tuesday, a reversal of a trend that had been in place since at least late June.

Still, the average number of new daily cases remained high, and it was higher than it has been in all but the previous week. And it’s not clear yet if the downward trend will continue.

The most recent seven-day average, in the week ending Tuesday, was 18.6 new COVID-19 cases per day. The highest it’s been, the week before, was 24.7. In late June, the county had an average of 3.43 new cases of COVID-19 per day.

Another trend that has reversed, at least for now: The number of active cases in the county fell four days in a row. It was 255 on Thursday. That was down more than 30 cases from a peak of 289 active cases on Sunday. Active cases are total cases minus recoveries and deaths.

In other potentially good news, the daily positivity rate, which measures the percentage of people who test positive for COVID-19 out of those who are tested, has fallen for at least two weeks.

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Oak Ridge has mask policy for city employees

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The City of Oak Ridge has a mask policy for municipal employees.

Here is what the city said last month:

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson issued an administrative memo on June 29. It detailed a policy that requires city employees to wear masks or other face coverings when close to the public.

Inside of all municipal buildings, employees should conduct temperature checks and health questioning before they admit any resident to city-secured work areas. City employees will also be required to wear masks inside of any buildings when performing official city duties and interacting with the general public.

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Oak Ridge lab accredited to analyze air, surfaces for COVID-19 virus

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Edward Sobek, president of Assured Bio Labs LLC reviews COVID-19 analysis systems before the processing of samples. (Submitted photo)

An environmental microbiology laboratory in Oak Ridge is the first in the United States to receive accreditation to analyze air and surfaces for the presence of the virus that causes COVID-19, a press release said.

Assured Bio Labs LLC was granted accreditation for testing environmental air and surfaces for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, by the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s Laboratory Accreditation Program, the press release said. AIHA announced the accreditation in a tweet on June 25.

As businesses bring employees back to work, COVID-19 data for touch points and air is essential to protect workers and the public, the press release said. Accreditation ensures the quality of laboratory analysis.

“Since March, we have been running samples for local municipalities and for New York City essential businesses in the financial district,” said Edward A. Sobek, president of Assured Bio Labs LLC. In April, the lab began providing COVID-19 surface and air testing for health care facilities in the Northeast as they converted COVID-19 patient rooms into standard rooms.

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Staff member at ORHS tests positive for COVID-19

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Oak Ridge High School

A staff member who was at Oak Ridge High School on Friday has tested positive for COVID-19, Oak Ridge Schools said Sunday.

The school system learned of the positive diagnosis on Saturday.

“Having this report Saturday morning allowed us to implement a 24-hour closure so we could thoroughly disinfect the building on Saturday,” Superintendent Bruce Borchers said in a letter to families. A second disinfectant fogging of the full building occurred on Sunday, Borchers said.

It’s the sixth overall COVID-19 case in Oak Ridge Schools and the fifth since July 15.

The other cases since July 15 involved a staff member who had been at Jefferson Middle School and ORHS, a staff member at JMS, a student at ORHS band camp, and an instructor at ORHS band camp.

In an earlier case in April, a staff member who had been volunteering at the school system’s food distribution sites tested positive for COVID-19.

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79 percent of students attending classes in person, 21 percent online-only

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Four out of five students in Oak Ridge Schools are attending classes in person at least two days per week, while one out of five have registered for an online-only option as the school system and families respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are the enrollment numbers for all of the schools on Friday:

  • On-campus classes: 3,695 (about 79 percent of total enrollment)
  • The online-only option, ConnectOR: 963 (about 21 percent)

The school system was showing a total enrollment of 4,658 on Friday, but Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said it is too early to tell what the actual enrollment is.

“We should have a solid number in a couple of weeks,” he said.

It’s not clear how many families have selected a home school option during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The school system offered two options for the new school year, which started Wednesday and Thursday, depending upon the school.

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Youngest, oldest have highest COVID rate increases; young adults, middle aged have most cases

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The two youngest age groups and the oldest age group had the highest rates of increase in COVID-19 cases in Anderson County in July, and young adults had the most cases and the largest number of new cases.

The two youngest age groups and the oldest age group started the month with the lowest number of cases. But the 11-20 age group ended the month about in the middle of the nine age groups in terms of number of cases.

Cases among patients 0-10 years old grew from one on July 1 to 29 on July 31, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Health. That’s 29 times as many cases at the end of the month as the beginning, and an increase of 28 new cases during the month. It’s the highest rate of increase among all age groups, starting with the lowest number of cases.

Cases among patients 11-20 grew from six on July 1 to 74 on July 31. That’s 12.3 times as many cases at the end of the month as the beginning, and an increase of 68 new cases during the month. It’s the second-highest rate of increase and the third-highest number of new cases among all age groups.

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Oak Ridge woman battling COVID hospitalized twice

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Her family couldn’t visit her in the hospital for weeks. She initially didn’t know where she was or why she was there. She was on a ventilator for 13 days.

Now, after two trips to the hospital and about a month there, Nancy Garner, 67, of Oak Ridge, is back at home, still recovering from COVID-19. It’s been almost two months since she tested positive.

Nancy was first tested for COVID-19 in early June while on vacation with her husband, Carl, 71, in Florida.

The Garners had left Oak Ridge on Saturday, June 6. They had rented a house in Florida with friends from Texas.

Nancy Garner noticed symptoms the next day, Sunday, June 7. She had a fever and sore throat. She thought it was from being outside in the sun.

But the following day, Monday, the symptoms were worse. She went to an emergency room in Florida, and she was tested for COVID-19.

She and Carl came back to Oak Ridge immediately, and they stayed at home. They both learned that week that they had tested positive for COVID-19.

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