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Tennessee reports record COVID deaths, hospitalizations

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Image courtesy Tennessee Department of Health

Tennessee reported a record number of COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations on Wednesday.

The Tennessee Department of Health reported 89 more deaths and 1,713 current hospitalizations (up by 79). That’s the most deaths ever reported in one day due to COVID-19 in Tennessee and the highest number of current hospitalizations.

The previous high number of deaths in one day in Tennessee was 78 on Friday, October 30.

The previous high number of current hospitalizations was 1,634 on Tuesday. And Monday (1,543) was the previous high before that.

The statewide positivity rate, 11.67 percent, remained high on Wednesday.

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Updated: COVID-19 cases appear to be trending back up in Anderson County

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A graph shows confirmed new cases of COVID-19 in Anderson County through Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. (Image courtesy Tennessee COVID-19 Case Tracking Coronavirus-19 Outbreak Response Experts (CORE-19) at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville)

Note: This story was updated at 3 p.m. Oct. 16

After peaking in July and falling in August, the average number of new COVID-19 cases per day appears to be trending back up in Anderson County.

In the past two weeks, the seven-day average of new cases in Anderson County was more than 15 per day, according to calculations by Oak Ridge Today. The county had 100 new cases between Friday and Wednesday.

Twice in the past three days, the number of new cases reported in one day has been 30 or more. The Tennessee Department of Health reported 30 new cases of COVID-19 in Anderson County on Monday. Thirty-five more new cases were reported on Wednesday.

That’s a level generally not seen since late July, the worst month of the pandemic so far. The highest number of cases reported in the county in one day was 39 on July 23 and again on July 27.

The average number of new cases per day fell in August after the July peak and then appeared to generally plateau for a month or so. But now the overall trend seems to be one of rising new case numbers, especially since an early September low.

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New daily COVID-19 case average remains near or above 10

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A graph shows confirmed new cases of COVID-19 in Anderson County through Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. (Image courtesy Tennessee COVID-19 Case Tracking Coronavirus-19 Outbreak Response Experts (CORE-19) at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville)

The average number of new cases of COVID-19 per day has remained near or above 10 in Anderson County for more than a month.

That’s down from the peak average of about 20 new cases per day or more in late July. But it remains higher than the averages for March, when the pandemic began, and for April, May, June, and early July.

On Tuesday each week, Oak Ridge Today calculates the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases per day in Anderson County for the previous week.

That seven-day average passed an average of 10 new cases per day in early to mid-July before peaking at 24.7 new cases per day in late July. The average then fell in August before hitting a plateau at about 10 in mid-August. It has remained there, or close to it, with one exception since then.

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New daily COVID case average falls to early July level

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A graph shows confirmed new cases of COVID-19 in Anderson County through Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. (Image courtesy Tennessee COVID-19 Case Tracking Coronavirus-19 Outbreak Response Experts (CORE-19) at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville)

The daily average of new COVID-19 cases in Anderson County the past week fell to a level last seen in early July, about five new cases per day.

Last week’s average of 5.4 new cases per day is about a 40 percent drop from the average nine new cases reported per day during the previous week.

It’s the third straight week of a decline in the average number of new cases per day in Anderson County.

Although it’s falling, the seven-day average remains higher than it was in late June, before the case growth started to accelerate in the county.

The highest seven-day average, as calculated by Oak Ridge Today, was in late July, when Anderson County averaged more than 24 new cases of COVID-19 per day. July appears to have been the worst month of the pandemic so far.

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New COVID case average fluctuates, hits recent daily lows

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A graph shows confirmed new cases of COVID-19 in Anderson County through Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2020. (Image courtesy Tennessee COVID-19 Case Tracking Coronavirus-19 Outbreak Response Experts (CORE-19) at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville)

The daily average of new COVID-19 cases in Anderson County this past week was about the same as it was two weeks ago, roughly nine new cases per day.

But the number of new daily cases fell to three and two on Monday and Tuesday. Those are the lowest numbers of new daily cases in Anderson County since early July.

There have been two more deaths in Anderson County reported due to COVID-19 in the past week. Eight people have now died from COVID-19 in the county, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

And there have been two more hospitalizations. A total of 34 patients have been hospitalized for COVID-19 since the pandemic began in Anderson County on March 20.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the county rose to 841 on Tuesday.

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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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Updated: Anderson County has more than 500 COVID cases, reports two more deaths

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A graph shows total cases of COVID-19 in Anderson County through Tuesday, July 28, 2020. Another 36 cases were reported Wednesday. (Image courtesy Tennessee COVID-19 Case Tracking Coronavirus-19 Outbreak Response Experts (CORE-19) at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville)

Note: This story was last updated at 4 p.m. We have added some of Wednesday’s COVID-19 statistics to this story, which initially focused on Tuesday’s numbers.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County rose to 500 on Tuesday, and the county has reported its fourth and fifth deaths due to the new coronavirus.

Three of the county’s five deaths have been in the past two weeks. Two of those have been in the past week.

On Wednesday, Anderson County reported another 36 new cases of COVID-19—just below the all-time high of 39—and the total number of cases climbed to 536.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the county has more than doubled in 13 days. There were 252 COVID-19 cases in Anderson County on July 16.

The 536 cases reported Wednesday means about 0.7 percent of the county’s roughly 77,000 residents have been infected with COVID-19.

A graph shows active cases of COVID-19 in Anderson County through Tuesday, July 28, 2020. Another 30 active cases were reported Wednesday. (Image courtesy Tennessee COVID-19 Case Tracking Coronavirus-19 Outbreak Response Experts (CORE-19) at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville)

The number of active cases (total cases minus recoveries and deaths) continued to increase significantly, rising to 271 on Wednesday, according to data published by the Tennessee Department of Health. (The number of active cases had been 241 on Tuesday.) Active cases increased by 118 in Anderson County in one week. They have more than doubled in the past two weeks.

The county reported a record-high 39 new daily cases twice in the past week, first on Thursday and then again on Monday.

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COVID-19 cases triple in county, hospitalizations double

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A graph showing total cases of COVID-19 in Anderson County through Tuesday, July 21, 2020. (Image courtesy Tennessee COVID-19 Case Tracking Coronavirus-19 Outbreak Response Experts (CORE-19) at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville)

The number of COVID-19 cases has tripled in Anderson County since early July, and the number of hospitalizations has doubled.

Anderson County had 105 total cases of COVID-19 on July 2, when the growth in cases started to accelerate. On Tuesday, it had more than three times as many cases, 327.

The number of active cases—total cases minus recoveries and deaths—has increased even faster. The number of active cases in Anderson County on July 2 was 32. On Tuesday, the county had about five times as many active cases, 154.

The number of total cases and active cases—now 327 and 154, respectively—have both increased about 50 percent in one week.

Anderson County hospitalizations increased to 21 on Tuesday. That’s up from 10 on July 5, meaning more than half of the county’s hospitalizations have occurred in less than three weeks. Seven of the hospitalizations have been in the past week.

Anderson County has reported a third death due to COVID-19, the first since June 4. Joe Lenhard, a former U.S. Department of Energy executive and a founder of the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, died of COVID-19 on Friday at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.

Separately, an Oak Ridge employee who worked at the Y-12 National Security Complex and lived in Maryville died of COVID-19 on Wednesday at Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville.

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Anderson County has 219 COVID-19 cases, with 101 active

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Anderson County now has more than 200 total COVID-19 cases, and more than 100 are active. The chart above by the Tennessee Department of Health shows new cases in Anderson County through Tuesday, July 14, 2020.

Anderson County now has more than 200 total COVID-19 cases, and more than 100 are active.

The county reported 219 total COVID-19 cases and 101 active cases on Tuesday. Active cases are total cases minus recoveries and deaths.

The number of total cases has more than doubled since July 2, less than two weeks ago, and the number of active cases has about tripled since then.

Total cases measure how many residents have been infected. Active cases measure patients who have survived and might still have symptoms or are within 21 days of their first diagnosis.

The hospitalizations in Anderson County have not increased as fast as the new cases. On July 2, there were 10 total hospitalizations in Anderson County due to COVID-19. On Tuesday, the Tennessee Department of Health reported there have been 14 total hospitalizations in Anderson County. It’s not clear how many of those patients remain in the hospital.

The number of deaths has remained unchanged since June 4, when the second death due to COVID-19 was reported in Anderson County.

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Rep. Calfee, wife Marilyn test positive for COVID-19

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Kent Calfee

Note: This story was last updated at 9:15 p.m.

Tennessee Representative Kent Calfee, a Republican whose district includes west Oak Ridge, and his wife Marilyn have tested positive for COVID-19, the legislator said Friday.

Calfee announced the diagnoses on his Facebook page. He said Marilyn tested positive for COVID-19 recently, and then he was tested this week. The results came back this afternoon, and they were positive, Calfee said.

“At this time, I am not experiencing any symptoms, and I have been self-isolating,” Calfee said. “I wanted to inform you of my positive test, so you could also take additional precautions to keep you and your loved ones safe, if you feel they are necessary. I have also notified legislative administration in Nashville, so they can take any additional precautions in accordance with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to maintain a safe working environment for all within the Cordell Hull Building.”

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Anderson County reports 23 new COVID cases in one day, a record

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Graph by Tennessee Department of Health

Anderson County reported 23 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, another record just four days after the previous high, and the state added a record number of new daily cases, reporting more than 2,000 new daily cases for the first time.

Anderson County, which has about 77,000 residents, added another 12 cases on Thursday. That pushed the total number of cases in the county up to 178, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

The case growth in the county seems to have accelerated in the past eight days. During that time, the county has added 73 cases. That’s a 70 percent increase in cases in roughly a week. A week ago, on July 2, Anderson County had 105 cases.

The number of active cases in the county has jumped again. It had risen to 66 on Sunday before falling significantly on Monday and Tuesday. But it rose by about 30 on Wednesday and Thursday, and the number of active cases was at 86 on Thursday.

That’s more than double the 32 active cases reported in the county a week ago, on July 2. (Active cases are calculated by subtracting deaths and recoveries from total cases.) A month ago, the number of active cases was in the single digits.

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How the state defines confirmed, probable COVID-19 cases, deaths

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Oak Ridge Today recently asked the Tennessee Department of Health how it defines confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases.

That information is included on the state’s website. So is information about COVID-19 deaths and probable deaths, and antibody tests.

This is among the information frequently requested by readers.

Almost all of the state’s total count of COVID-19 cases—more than 99 percent of them—are confirmed cases. About 0.7 percent of them are probable cases.

Here is how the Tennessee Department of Health defines confirmed and probable cases:

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