Oak Ridge Today

Highest number of new COVID cases reported in AC in October

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The graph at left above shows new COVID-19 cases in Anderson County by month, and the graph at right shows deaths and hospitalizations by month. (Graphs by Oak Ridge Today)

The highest number of new COVID-19 cases in Anderson County was reported in October. The increase in cases last month was about 37 percent larger than the earlier peak in July.

While October is now the peak month for cases so far, it wasn’t the worst for deaths or hospitalizations. There were three deaths due to COVID-19 in Anderson County in October and 10 hospitalizations. The most deaths, five, were reported in September, and the most hospitalizations, 16, were reported in July.

On Thursday, the Tennessee Department of Health reported that Anderson County had averaged 24.9 new cases per day during the past 14 days. That was up from 18.6 new cases per day, on average, during the previous two-week period.

The average positivity rate continues to be high. The seven-day average on Thursday was 12.6 percent, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

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COVID cases surge among school students, staff

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A graph shows the number of COVID-19 cases in Oak Ridge Schools reported by school week since Wednesday, July 29, 2020. Students were on fall break for parts of weeks nine and 11, and for all of week 10. Note: Week 15 started Wednesday, Nov. 4, so it’s a partial week. (Graph by Oak Ridge Today)

The number of new COVID-19 cases reported among students and staff members surged in Oak Ridge Schools during the past three weeks.

There have been 27 cases reported since October 15. That’s an average of nine new cases per week during a three-week period.

It’s about triple the average number of new cases reported during the previous high period in August, when roughly 3.3 new cases were reported per week during a three-week period.

The increase in new cases in the school system has occurred as the number of new cases has also risen significantly in Anderson County and Tennessee, surpassing the July peak.

The 27 cases reported in the past three weeks in Oak Ridge Schools represents about 57 percent of the total 47 cases reported since the school year started July 29.

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First Presbyterian offers free holiday meals

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First Presbyterian offers
free holiday meals   

First Presbyterian Church members have donated numerous food items to provide holiday meals to food-insecure guests who stop by the church between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12, and Thursday, Dec. 10.   The church’s monthly “Welcome Table” community meal program plans to supply guests with a free bag of groceries for each of the two dates.   Inside the bag will be canned ham, canned yam or sweet potatoes, canned cranberries, canned green beans, stove-top stuffing mix, chicken broth, yellow cake mix, berry pie filling and canned 7-Up and Sprite drinks. The last three items are ingredients for a dessert recipe that will be included.   Guests should drive through the church parking lot to the back of the sanctuary building (1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike) at the intersection of the Turnpike and Lafayette Drive on the second Thursday of this month and December. Church volunteers wearing masks will deliver the groceries to guests in their cars.

Updated: Dodson, Hammond, Hope re-elected to City Council

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Jim Dodson

Note: This story was last updated at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 8.

Oak Ridge City Council members Jim Dodson, Derrick Hammond, and Chuck Hope were re-elected Tuesday.

They had one challenger, Edward Jackson Jr.

Oak Ridge Board of Education members Angi Agle and Keys Fillauer were also re-elected.

In the City Council election, Dodson received the most votes, 8,253, in Anderson County. He received the second-most votes in Roane County, 1,499. He had a total of 9,752 votes in the two counties, giving him the most total votes of any candidate and 852 more than the second-place finisher.

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Two more COVID deaths reported in AC as state reports record deaths

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A daily snapshot of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County on Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, includes, among other information, the daily number of new cases and the daily positivity rate. (Graphic by Tennessee Department of Health)

Two more COVID-19 deaths were reported in Anderson County on Friday as the state reported a record-high number of deaths, 78, and the current upward trend in new cases has surpassed the July peak. A new case was reported in Oak Ridge Schools (a staff member at Oak Ridge High School), and two more hospitalizations were reported in Anderson County.

COVID-19 cases have been surging up for the second time this year in Anderson County and Tennessee, and heading up for the third time nationwide. It’s not clear when any of those upward trends might peak.

Anderson County reported record-high one-day increases on Wednesday (40) and Thursday (46). The new case counts were lower on Friday (35) and Saturday (20).

The county has had a total 1,868 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began March 20. There have been 16 deaths and 49 hospitalizations.

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Children’s Halloween Party was rescheduled to today (Friday)

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The Children’s Halloween Party that had been scheduled for Thursday was rescheduled to today (Friday, October 30) due to the forecast of heavy rain and high winds earlier this week.

The event, called Halloween Hollow, is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

As a result of the schedule change, the sold-out Día de los Muertos Celebration hosted by the City of Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department has been moved to Monday, November 2, a press release said. For questions about this event, contact Eddie Chavez at (865) 425-3450.

The drive-through Children’s Halloween Party will now begin at the Oak Ridge Civic Center west side parking area and end at the Oak Ridge Public Library east side parking area. Event participants will be able to enjoy Halloween scenes and pick up preordered T-shirts, and children four years old to fourth grade will receive treats, the press release said.

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Three more COVID cases reported among students

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A graph shows the number of COVID-19 cases in Oak Ridge Schools reported by school week since Wednesday, July 29, 2020. Students were on fall break for parts of weeks nine and 11, and for all of week 10. Note: Week 14 started Wednesday, Oct. 28, so it’s a partial week. (Graph by Oak Ridge Today)

Three more COVID-19 cases were reported among Oak Ridge Schools students on Wednesday and Thursday. Two were at Oak Ridge High School, and one was at Woodland Elementary School. There have 13 cases among students since Friday and eight cases among ORHS students in the past week.

The surge in cases among students has occurred as middle schools prepare to return to in-person classes five days per week starting Monday. Student cases were reported almost every day this past week, with the number of cases ranging between one and four. That is a higher number of cases per day than at any other time this school year.

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers has said about 80 percent of COVID-19 cases in the schools have been due to activities outside of school. On Wednesday, he said 85.2 percent of the student cases in Oak Ridge Schools have been confirmed to be non-school related.

Borchers said the schools are not aware of any cases in which students or staff members have developed COVID-19 because they were in close contact with a person at school who was confirmed to be COVID-positive. Also on Wednesday, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Department of Health Policy in Nashville said major clusters of COVID-19 have not been traced to school transmission.

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Young patients have largest number of COVID cases in Anderson County

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The largest number of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County is among young patients, with the 11-20 age group now reporting the most cases of any age group. (Graph by Oak Ridge Today using information from Tennessee Department of Health)

The largest number of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County is among young patients, with the 11-20 and 21-30 age groups now reporting the most cases of any age groups.

For more than a week, the case count among the 11-20 age group has been higher than the case count among the 21-30 age group.

That’s a change since earlier in the pandemic, when the 21-30 age group usually had the most cases of any age group, followed by several older age groups. It’s not clear what accounts for the change.

The 21-30 age group still has a high number of cases, and that age group still has close to the same number of cases as the 11-20 age group, according to information published by the Tennessee Department of Health. And on some recent days at least in the past month, the total number of cases among the 21-30 age group has been higher than the number among the 11-20 age group.

The two groups together now account for about one-third of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County.

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Updated: Anderson, Roane report record increases in COVID cases

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A daily snapshot of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020, includes, among other information, the daily number of new cases and the daily positivity rate. (Graphic by Tennessee Department of Health)

Note: This story was updated at 4:45 p.m.

Anderson and Roane counties reported record-high one-day increases in COVID-19 cases on Wednesday as the pandemic appears to have returned to or surpassed July levels. Anderson County set another record on Thursday.

Roane County reported 41 new cases on Wednesday, and Anderson County reported 40.

Update: Anderson County reported another record increase on Thursday, 46 new cases. It’s the second day of a record increase in COVID-19 cases in Anderson County.

The previous high in Anderson County was 39 on July 23. Until now, July had been the worst month of the pandemic.

The previous high in Roane County had been 34 on October 23. It followed an earlier peak of 33 on July 23.

Oak Ridge is in both Anderson and Roane counties. Most of the city’s residents live in Anderson County, but the west end of the city is in Roane County.

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Ten COVID cases reported among students since Friday

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A graph shows the number of COVID-19 cases in Oak Ridge Schools reported by school week since Wednesday, July 29, 2020. We have defined weeks as Wednesday-Tuesday. Students were on fall break for parts of weeks nine and 11, and for all of week 10. Note: Week 14 started Wednesday, Oct. 28, so it’s a partial week. (Graph by Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 10 a.m. Oct. 29.

Ten COVID-19 cases have been reported among students in Oak Ridge Schools since Friday. That’s the highest number of cases reported in any seven-day period so far this school year.

The 10 new student cases were reported between Friday and Wednesday. Six of the cases were reported among students at Oak Ridge High School. It’s not clear yet if the surge is an anomaly or part of a trend.

There are currently 46 students and five staff members who are not allowed to attend school because they have been in close contact with someone at school who has been confirmed to have COVID-19, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said in response to questions Wednesday.

The surge in new cases has occurred as middle schools prepare to return to classes five days per week starting Monday.

Borchers has said about 80 percent of COVID-19 cases in the schools were due to activities outside of school. On Wednesday, he said 85.2 percent of the student cases in Oak Ridge Schools have been confirmed to be non-school related.

Borchers said the schools are not aware of any cases in which students or staff members have developed COVID-19 because they were in close contact with a person at school who was confirmed to be COVID-positive.

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Charges pending after head-on crash on South Illinois

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Charges are pending against one driver after a head-on crash on South Illinois Avenue early Sunday caused one vehicle to start on fire and pinned a driver in a second vehicle, Oak Ridge police said.

The crash occurred on South Illinois Avenue at about 1:35 a.m. Sunday, when the Oak Ridge Police Department received a report of a vehicle traveling the wrong way. The vehicle was described as a silver sport utility vehicle traveling north in the southbound lanes. 

When they arrived, police officers found a head-on traffic crash in the southbound lanes of State Route 62, South Illinois Avenue, near Centrifuge Way. It involved the same vehicle (a silver 2016 Subaru) and a 2007 Toyota, the ORPD said.

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Christmas Parade will be reverse parade

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A float is pictured above in the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016. (File photo by Eli Welton)

The Oak Ridge Christmas Parade will be a reverse parade this year because of concerns about COVID-19. That means the floats will be stationary and spectators will drive the parade route.

In normal years, the spectators are stationary, and the floats are driven down Oak Ridge Turnpike.

This year, floats will line the northbound lanes of Lafayette Drive (heading toward Oak Ridge Turnpike), and spectators will drive down the southbound lanes (heading toward Illinois Avenue) to enjoy the festivities from the safety and comfort of their own cars, a press release said.

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the parade, announced the change on Monday. [Read more…]