COVID-19 infections dropped overall in Tennessee but hospitalizations are still rising

Frank Gluck, Nashville Tennessean
·1 min read

Confirmed COVID-19 infections dropped statewide and in Davidson County last week, according to the latest data from the Tennessee Department of Health.

As of Saturday, the seven-day average of cases in Tennessee was 2,689, compared to the prior week's 2,888, the department reported. The Davidson County seven-day average was 219 as of Saturday, down from 235.4%

Even so, the number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 rose for yet another week. According to the department, there are now 804 such patients, compared to the 752 last week.

Tennessee again reported a modest increase in the percentage of people getting tested for COVID-19 who are positive for it.

Statewide, that percentage was 30.1%, up from 29.57% the previous week. Davidson County's test-positivity rate dipped slightly — 26.6% as of Saturday, compared to 26.8% the week before.

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State public health agencies have counted more than 2.2 million cases of COVID-19 in Tennessee since the start of the pandemic. Statewide, 27,030 people have died as a result of the novel coronavirus.

About 55.1% of Tennesseans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The national average is 67.2%.

Frank Gluck is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at fgluck@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter at @FrankGluck.

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee COVID cases: infections drop, hospitalizations still rising