Masks required again as COVID transmission levels high in Anderson, Roane
Anderson and Roane counties are in the high community level zone for COVID-19 transmission, causing officials with the federal facilities in Oak Ridge to again mandate masks for workers and visitors.
Spokespersons for Oak Ridge National Laboratory and its site office staff, and the Y-12 National Security Complex confirmed Monday and Tuesday that masks are again being required regardless of vaccination status pursuant to the Department of Energy COVID-19 Workplace Safety and Reentry Framework. It includes regular testing of unvaccinated personnel.
"At this time, the city of Oak Ridge is continuing to monitor the number of cases being reported," stated Lauren Gray, city senior communications specialist, when asked about any additional precautions being taken by city government. "All city of Oak Ridge residents are urged to wear masks and practice social distancing when necessary, and continue to get vaccinated."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website on Tuesday listed Anderson, Roane and Morgan counties as being in the high community level zone for COVID-19 transmission; Knox and Loudon counties as being in the medium community level zone. With the "high" designation, the CDC recommends wearing a mask indoors in public; staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, getting tested if you have symptoms and the possibility of additional precautions for people at high risk for severe illness. The "medium" designation is nearly the same although it does not include the recommendation of wearing a mask, but tells you to ask your doctor if you should given your health status.
No matter the status in your county, the CDC recommends that "people with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask."
The numbers
The statistics for Anderson County, as of July 16, show the daily case rates in for the period July 10 through July 16 to be 41% per 100,000, compared to 35% over the July 3 through July 16 period, and 29.5% from June 19 to July 2.
In Roane County, as of July 16, the daily case rates for the period July 10 through July 16 to be 49% per 100,000, compared to 39.5% over the July 3 through July 16 period, and 27.3% from June 19 to July 2.
Statewide
As of Saturday, The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville reported that the seven-day average of cases was 2,842, compared to the previously reported 2,446, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. The Davidson County seven-day average was 252, up from 218.7.
Hospitalizations also continue to rise: The department now counts 706 patients with COVID-19, up from last week's 666. As of last week — the most recent public count — 99 COVID patients were in ICUs. Thirty-six are on ventilators.
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 28.2% up from 27.68% the previous week. Davidson County's test-positivity rate dipped slightly — 25.3% as of Saturday, compared to 26.8% the week before.
State public health agencies have counted nearly 2.17 million cases of COVID-19 in Tennessee since the start of the pandemic. Statewide, 26,853 people have died as a result of the novel coronavirus.
Nearly 55% of Tennesseans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The national average is 67.1%.
The Tennessee Department of Health updates its statistics for COVID-19 late in the afternoon every Wednesday.
Donna Smith is the news editor for The Oak Ridger. She can be contacted at dsmith@oakridger.com or by phone at (865) 220-5514. Follow her on Twitter @ridgernews.editor. Frank Gluck, the health care reporter for The Tennessean, contributed to this story.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Masks required as COVID transmission levels high in Anderson, Roane
