Tennessee just reached its highest single-day count of new COVID cases — with nearly 6,000 reported Monday. That’s after health officials reported more than 8,000 new cases over the weekend as the pandemic escalates nationwide.
In addition to the large case counts, a greater share of tests are coming back positive.
Overall, since the pandemic started in March, 7% of all tests in the state have been positive. During the worst peak in July and August, the 14-day average rose to 9%. Now, it’s at 11% — meaning more than 1 in 10 Tennesseans being tested have COVID-19.
And, Tennessee is testing more people every day than during the last peak. So, a higher positivity rate on more tests means, overall, the virus is more widespread than at any point of the pandemic so far.
Hospitalizations also line up with the greater saturation of the virus in the state. Tennessee is hovering at its record high for active hospitalizations with more than 1,500 currently.
Meanwhile in Nashville, the number of active cases has once again risen to more than 2,800 — a figure last seen in mid-August while the city came down from its worst peak of the pandemic in July.
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