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Veterans Day Parade canceled due to COVID-19

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This year’s Veterans Day Parade in Anderson County has been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision to cancel the annual parade because of uncertainties related to the pandemic was made by the Clinton American Legion Post #172, in partnership with The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #12051, AMVETS Post #2, and Disabled American Veterans Chapter 26, a press release said.

“With the COVID-19 concerns and issues throughout the county and within the schools, the American Legion membership felt, ‘due to safety of spectators and participants alike,’ it is best to forego the parade this year and plan for a bigger and better parade in 2021,” the press release said.

While this year’s parade has been canceled, discussions are under way to develop a program to celebrate Veterans Day and follow proper social-distancing restrictions and guidelines, the release said.

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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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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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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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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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Largest percentage of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County in patients 21-30

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The largest percentage of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County is among patients who are 21-30, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Health.

That age group had 64 total cases on Thursday, or about 17 percent of the county’s 374 cases.

That matches the statewide numbers, where patients who are 21-30 years old have consistently accounted for the largest percentage of cases.

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Briceville zip code has highest case rate in Anderson County

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The 21-day COVID-19 case rates for an East Tennessee region outside Knox County, the white area at center, through Wednesday, July 22, 2020. The main Oak Ridge zip code, on the lower northwest side of Knox County, is 37830. The main Clinton and Marlow zip code is 37716. Powell, Claxton, and Heiskell are 37849. The main Oliver Springs zip code is 37840. Rocky Top is 37769, Briceville is 37710, Norris is 37828, and Norris and Andersonville is 37705. Lenoir City and Oak Ridge is 37771. The 37748 zip code is Harriman, Blair, Coalfield, and Oak Ridge. The 37763 zip code includes Kingston and Midway,. (Image by Tennessee Department of Health)

Note: This story was last updated at 7:15 p.m.

The Briceville zip code had the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County, calculated compared to population, according to maps posted by the Tennessee Department of Health on Wednesday. The Briceville zip code is 37710.

The Oak Ridge and Elza (37830), Clinton and Marlow (37716), and Rocky Top (37769) zip codes had lower case rates than the Briceville zip code.

Still lower were the Oliver Springs and Coalfield (37840), Powell and Claxton (37849), Heiskell (37754), Norris (37705), and Norris and Andersonville (37705) zip codes.

On July 7, Bill Christian, spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Health, said there wasn’t one large cluster of cases that explained the increase in cases in Anderson County. Oak Ridge Today asked about that after the number of new cases started to increase in the county starting around July 2.

“Like much of East Tennessee, Anderson County is experiencing an increase in community transmission,” Christian said at the time.

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Anderson, Roane report record highs in new COVID-19 cases

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Free drive-through testing for COVID-19 is pictured above on Wednesday morning, April 15, 2020 in the Oak Ridge High School parking lot. Note: Some faces have been blurred in the photo above to protect patient privacy. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was updated at 7:30 p.m.

Anderson County reported 39 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, another record. And Roane County reported 33 new cases, also a record.

Oak Ridge is in Anderson and Roane counties. Most of the city’s residents live in Anderson County, but the west side of the city and some large federal sites are in Roane County.

Anderson County now has 374 COVID-19 cases, with 171 active cases, and Roane County has 189, with 111 active.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County has more than tripled since early July, and the number of active cases has more than quintupled. The number of hospitalizations has more than doubled this month.

The last record of new daily COVID-19 cases in Anderson County was Tuesday, when 27 new cases were reported. Before that, the previous high was 23 new cases on July 8.

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