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COVID positivity rates high in Anderson, surrounding counties

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COVID-19 data for Anderson County as reported by the Tennessee Department of Health on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. (Image courtesy Tennessee Department of Health)

The COVID-19 positivity rates in Anderson County and surrounding counties have been high recently, and one additional death and five more hospitalizations were reported in Anderson County in two days this week.

The positivity rate in Anderson County was close to 10 percent on Thursday and higher than 10 percent in five of the seven surrounding counties. It was highest in Union County, where the positivity rate was 18.4 percent.

The 14th death in Anderson County was reported by the Tennessee Department of Health on Thursday, and the five new hospitalizations were reported on Wednesday and Thursday.

The positivity rate measures the percentage of new daily tests that return positive results out of all the new daily tests. A higher positivity rate means more people are testing positive out of those who are tested each day.

[Read more…]

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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COVID-19 cases pass 10,000

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Image courtesy Tennessee Department of Health

Note: This story was updated at 5:45 p.m.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Tennessee passed 10,000 on Tuesday.

The number of new cases reported fell to 134. That was just a 1.4 percent daily increase in COVID-19 cases, the lowest percentage increase going back to at least March 20.

It came just two days after the biggest one-day increase. On Sunday, 478 new COVID-19 cases were reported, the most new cases reported in one day in Tennessee.

But Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey has urged residents to not focus too much on the daily variations in the number of cases. People should instead focus on trends, Piercey said.

[Read more…]

More than 5,000 COVID-19 cases, 100 deaths reported in Tennessee

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Graph by Ken Mayes (used with permission)

Note: This story was last updated at 2:45 p.m.

More than 5,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Tennessee, and more than 100 people have died, state health officials said Saturday.

The Tennessee Department of Health reported 5,114 cases and 101 deaths. The state health department publishes the state case totals at 2 p.m. Central time each day.

The largest percentage of COVID-19 continues to be among patients who are 21 to 30 years old. They account for 1,066 cases, or 21 percent of patients. That age group combined with four others (31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70) account for 4,302 cases, or 83 percent of them.

The average age of COVID-19 patients in Tennessee has been 46. The age range of patients has been between 0 and 99.

COVID-19 is a contagious respiratory illness that can be deadly. In Tennessee, most deaths have occurred among patients who are 61 years and older. They account for 84 deaths, or 83 percent of fatalities.

In Tennessee, about 10.9 percent of patients who have tested positive or are presumed to have tested positive for COVID-19 have been hospitalized (556 of 5,114 cases). The state does not report which counties the hospitalizations occurred in, and it’s not clear how many of the patients remain in the hospital.

About 2 percent of patients have died (101 of 5,114 cases).

[Read more…]

COVID-19 cases pass 4,000 in Tennessee

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Graph courtesy Ken Mayes (used with permission)

Note This story was last updated at 2:05 p.m

The number of COVID-19 cases in Tennessee passed 4,000 on Tuesday.

The Tennessee Department of Health reported 4,138 cases on Tuesday afternoon, with 72 deaths and 408 hospitalizations.

The number of cases in Anderson County increased by one to 11, after being at 10 for seven days. There have been no deaths in Anderson County due to COVID-19.

Knox County, which includes Knoxville, had 143 cases and three deaths, according to the state totals on Tuesday afternoon.

COVID-19 is a contagious respiratory illness that can be deadly.

The Tennessee Department of Health reported that 466 patients have recovered from COVID-19 in Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Health publishes the state case totals at 2 p.m. Central time each day.

[Read more…]

COVID-19 cases up to 1,203 in Tenn. with six deaths

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Note: This story was last updated at 9:30 a.m. March 29.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Tennessee increased to 1,203 on Friday, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

That’s up from 957 on Thursday, a 23 percent increase.

It’s up more than five times from 228 the previous week (Friday, March 20).

There are now four cases confirmed in Anderson County. That’s up from three on Thursday. It’s not clear if the four cases include the two that have been publicly disclosed, one at the Anderson County Courthouse and one at Y-12 National Security Complex, because it’s not clear where those two patients live or were tested.

There have been six deaths in Tennessee due to COVID-19 and 103 hospitalizations, the Tennessee Department of Health said in its afternoon list published Friday.

[Read more…]

Governor declares state of emergency; first COVID-19 case diagnosed in Knox

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Note: This story was last updated at 7:10 p.m.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee declared a state of emergency to help treat and contain COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus, and the first case has been diagnosed in Knox County.

The Knox County patient was exposed overseas and is an isolated case. The person has been in isolation and has not required hospitalization, according to the Knox County Health Department.

It’s a presumptive positive case, and local and state officials are waiting for confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Following standard public health protocols for infectious disease response, Knox County Health Department said its epidemiologists will work with the Tennessee Department of Health and follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to contact and monitor anyone who may have been exposed to this isolated case. Eighteen cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Department of Health, but it is not currently widespread in Knox County or the state.

“We understand the concern surrounding COVID-19, but we hope Knox County citizens can take some comfort in the fact that we were expecting a case, and that we routinely utilize extensive plans and national best practice to respond to all reportable infectious diseases in Knox County,” said KCHD Senior Director Dr. Martha Buchanan. “The most important thing the public can do is to follow the CDC guidance, which includes the standard hygiene practices we recommend to prevent the spread of flu and other viruses.”

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Climate data: Knox County could have 20-80 more days above 95 by 2100

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By 2100, Knox County could have 20-80 more days when the maximum temperature is above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, according to climate data used by the City of Knoxville and developed with help from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and NOAA Climate Explorer.

By 2100, Knox County could have 20-80 more days when the maximum temperature is above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, according to climate data used by the City of Knoxville and developed with help from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and NOAA Climate Explorer.

 

By 2100, Knox County could have 20-80 more days when the maximum temperature is above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, according to climate data used by the City of Knoxville and developed with help from Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The additional 20 days with a high over 95 is considered the best-case scenario. That would be almost three more weeks of high temperatures.

The 80 more days with a high over 95 would be a worst-case scenario. That would be close to three more months of high temperatures.

The higher and lower number of days appear to be correlated with, or caused by, higher and lower emissions.

There could be some variability in the temperature increases from year to year, but the overall trend would be up, according to the data, which used the NOAA Climate Explorer. (NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.)

An animated image based on the data shows projected changes from 2011 to 2050 in an eight-county region, including Knox and Anderson. Overall, there would be a general increase in the number of days with a maximum temperature above 95 degree Fahrenheit, compared to a 1981-2005 average. There could be some variability by location, even between counties. You can the animated image here: ORNL Climate Data Summary Movie. (The movie moves quickly through the slides after the animation; you can find a PDF version of those slides in the link at the end of this article.) [Read more…]

ORAU awards two teachers with $5,000 Extreme Classroom Makeover grants

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Donna Widner and her students at Oliver Springs Middle School received a $5,000 grant as runners-up in the 2017 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover competition. (Photo by ORAU)

Donna Widner and her students at Oliver Springs Middle School received a $5,000 grant as runners-up in the 2017 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover competition. (Photo by ORAU)

 

Oliver Springs Middle School in Roane County and Shannondale Elementary School in Knox County have been announced as runners-up in the 2017 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover competition during surprise classroom visits, according to a press release on Friday.

ORAU made surprise visits to the two schools and their students and teachers, and presented each with a $5,000 grant as runners-up in the competition.

April Lamb, a STEM teacher at Shannondale Elementary School in Knox County, and Donna Widner, a math teacher at Oliver Springs Middle School in Roane County, will use the grants to outfit their classrooms with new technology. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. [Read more…]

Reminder: Forum tonight features candidates for Anderson County Charter Commission

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A forum tonight will feature the Oak Ridge candidates for Anderson County Charter Commission.

The forum will start at 7 p.m., Thursday, October 6, in the City Room (A-111) at Roane State Community College at 701 Briarcliff Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Here are the Oak Ridge candidates: [Read more…]

Two killed, four injured in four-vehicle crash on Clinton Highway

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anderson-county-sheriffs-department-clinton-highway-sept-30-2016

A Georgia man and a Powell man who were in a vehicle that fled a traffic stop in Knox County were killed in a four-vehicle crash on Clinton Highway in Anderson County late Friday morning, authorities said. A short section of Clinton Highway was closed for about five hours between Mehaffey Road and Old Clinton Pike as the Tennessee Highway Patrol investigated the fatal crash, which also injured four people. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A Georgia man and a Powell man who were in a vehicle that fled a traffic stop in Knox County were killed in a four-vehicle crash on Clinton Highway in Anderson County late Friday morning, authorities said.

Four other people were injured in the crash, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The men who died were driver Roy Simmons, 29, of Helena, Georgia, and passenger Charles Miller, 25, of Powell, Tennessee, the THP said in a fatal crash report. The two men were in a 2001 Ford TSS driven by Simmons.

The crash was reported at about 11:32 a.m. Friday on Clinton Highway near the intersection with Old Clinton Pike in Anderson County, near the Anderson-Knox county line, the THP said.

The fatal crash report said a Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputy was trying to stop the car driven by Simmons in the northbound lanes of Clinton Highway near West Beaver Creek in Knox County, but the car fled. While fleeing, the car lost control and crossed the center line while going left around a curve, the crash report said. [Read more…]

Photos: TDOT at Claxton meeting on Clinton Highway improvements

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Clinton Highway 10-Year Crash Map

A 10-year crash map shows 10 fatal crashes in 10 years in a 2.6-mile section of Clinton Highway between Edgemoor Road and the Anderson County-Knox County line. (Map by TDOT)

 

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is considering modifying a 2.6-mile section of Clinton Highway where there have been 10 fatal crashes in a decade. The four-lane roadway could be reduced to three lanes with a passing lane and a center turn lane.

The proposal was presented at a community meeting at the Claxton Community Center on Thursday evening. Here are photos and graphics from the meeting and a TDOT presentation.

Clinton Highway Alternative 1 July 2016

A widened five-lane roadway on Clinton Highway in a 2.6-mile section of road between Edgemoor Road and the Anderson County-Knox County line could cost $30 million and take 15 years, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said in a meeting in Claxton on Thursday, July 7, 2016. (Image by TDOT)

[Read more…]

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