The number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Nashville has been steadily dropping, from a high of 222 on July 22 to 119 currently. Intensive care units are still busy but feeling less threatened that they’ll be overwhelmed by the pandemic.
The data on hospitalizations both in Nashville and statewide can jump unpredictably from day to day. And much of that is just a matter of hospitals periodically failing to report their COVID cases for a day or two, says Dr. Alex Jahangir, chair of the Nashville coronavirus task force.
“But the trend is legitimate,” Jahangir says. “Hospitals feel less stressed today than they did three weeks ago.”
At one point, 13% of all hospitalized patients in Nashville had COVID. That figure is now closer to 9%, Jahangir says.
Statewide, the number of hospitalizations is down less dramatically — from a high on July 27 of 1,133 active COVID cases to 1,022 as of Monday.
Courtesy Tennessee Department of Health There can be some discrepancies between the number of new hospitalizations reported each day and active hospitalizations, since some hospitals may fail to report new cases on some days.
Particular hospitals are beginning to feel relief from the recent surge of cases. Williamson Medical Center has decided to resume more elective surgeries next week.
But Jackson continues to be a hot spot, with more than 100 COVID patients in the city’s lone hospital. Hospital administrator James Ross says many of them are from surrounding counties where hospitals have closed in recent years.
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