Hope on the horizon ... with three vaccines with EUA approval and new deals in place to improve the flow of vaccines to cities, there is every reason to believe we'll have enough vaccine for anyone who wants it by the end of May. At that point, maybe we can reclaim a semblance of normalcy. However, undermining that optimism are the cities, counties and states rolling back mask mandates (looking at you Texas, Mississippi, Williamson County and Rutherford soon). We're so close to rounding the corner, if we can just hang on for a few more weeks to really, truly put the worst of the pandemic in our rearview mirror, it would be great! Unfortunately, if we allow another surge and increased spread of variants, we might extend the misery indefinitely.
Whether you're fully vaccinated or not, mask up and model good behavior. We're too close to blow it now!
Metro Nashville
As of 9:30 today, the city reported 90,445 confirmed cases, an increase of 109 in 24 hours. There are currently 1,797 active cases in Nashville, 88,004 inactive or recovered cases and 198 active hospitalizations. With 644 deaths, the city has a case fatality rate of 0.71%. In Davidson County, the number of tests given is nearly 1.026 million with an overall positivity rate of 10% and a seven-day positivity rate of 4.6%
Out of 8 metrics on the trend lines, Nashville has 3 in the green, 3 in the yellow and 0 in the red. With a goal for transmission to be less than 1.00, the city's current transmission rate is in the green at 0.9. The 14-day case trend is in the green with new cases categorized as decreasing. Public health and testing capacity remain in the green, as they have throughout.
As of 9:30 am this morning, hospital floor bed capacity was in the yellow with 12% availability, and ICU beds were also in the yellow at 13% capacity. The goal for both hospital and ICU bed capacity is 20%.
The New Cases per 100K Residents is also in the yellow. The goal of the seven-day rolling average is to be less than 10. Currently, Nashville sits at 21.4 as of 9:30 am this morning. The goal for the 7-Day Positivity Rate is to see a figure at 10% or less. Currently, Nashville is in the green with a rate of 4.5%*
More detailed data is available on the Metro Dashboard. Click here for details.
On Monday, Nashville loosened additional Phase 3 restrictions. Restaurants that do not serve alcohol are permitted to be open 24 hours; bars and restaurants serving alcohol may stay open until 1 am with the sale of alcohol ending at midnight. In both cases, capacity remains capped at 50% but has increased to a maximum of 125 per floor. Patrons may sit at bar counters with social distancing between parties, and a maximum of 8 people may be seated per table.
The Rule of 8 remains in effect for indoor private gatherings, but outdoor gatherings have increased to 25. For events that require prior approval (those over 25), the maximum event size increased from 500 to 1,000 dependent on risk and with application approval. Metro Parks events and sports league attendance has increased to up to 4 spectators per participant with social distancing and mask requirements still being required. Museum and attraction tour sizes can increase to the number of participants that can be safely socially distanced.
The city also continues its mask mandate. Governor Bill Lee extended a limited Tennessee State of Emergency tied to COVID-19 through April 28. For additional information, go here.
Vaccinations move to the 1c phase on Monday, which expands eligibility to those ages 16 & up with high-risk conditions, as well as all who qualified in all earlier phases. Currently, 97,416 Davidson County residents have received their 1st dose (14% of residents) and 55,157 are fully vaccinated (7.9% of residents). To date, MPHD and Nashville healthcare providers have administered 152,573 total doses to qualified recipients who live or work in Davidson County.
Tennessee State
As of this afternoon, the Tennessee Department of Health reported 780,894 cases of COVID-19 across the state (up 1,445 from the day before) with 755,474 cases defined as recovered or inactive. Currently, there are 821 hospitalizations (a net decrease of 44 from the previous day), and 11,534 deaths from the virus statewide (an increase of 33 in 24 hours) for a death rate of 1.48. The state has conducted more than 6.85 million tests (an increase of 21,699 in 24 hours) with an 5.21% positivity rate for the day. Hospital capacities stand at 16% of floor beds (1,875 beds) and 15% of ICU beds (308 beds) available statewide.
As of March 5, 2021: 1,567,864 vaccines had been administered across the state, and increase of 38,897 from the day before and of 237,409 vaccines since 2/26/21. Currently, 13.96% of Tennesseans have received at least 1 dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Johnson & Johnson is now in the mix, as well. A total of 453,342 have received the first dose of a two-dose vaccine, and 554,241 have completed the vaccine series (both doses for Moderna & Pfizer or one dose of Johnson & Johnson). For more detailed information on vaccination distribution, visit the TDH vaccine dashboard here.