- The seven-day average of confirmed infections rose slightly, compared to last week
- COVID-related hospitalizations dropped slightly statewide
- The percentage of people getting tested who are COVID-positive dropped slightly
Anderson County and all its neighboring counties are now in the medium risk zone for community transmission of COVID-19.
Masks are now optional again at Y-12 National Security Complex and Oak Ridge National Laboratory because of the drop from high to medium risk, according to officials and websites.
With the “high” designation, the the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, 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 identical, although it does not include the recommendation of wearing a mask, but instead it instructs you to ask your doctor if you should mask given your health status.
In July, Anderson, Roane and Morgan counties were in the “high” designation for community risk, leading officials at federal facilities in Oak Ridge to again mandate mask wearing by visitors and employees.
The latest 14-day reporting period, according to the Tennessee Department of Health website, ended on Aug. 13. At least 32 new cases were reported in Anderson County per day, compared to nearly 35 per day in the two weeks prior. Remember, these are reported cases. Some people may have tested positive at home and not reported it to health professionals.
In Roane County, the number of new cases per day for the same 14-day reporting period was about 21, compared to nearly 28 per day for the previous two weeks.
As of Aug. 13, the seven-day average of cases in Tennessee was 2,606, the state Health Department reported, according to a story in The Tennessean. That figure was 2,535 the prior week.
Related hospitalizations across the state also dropped — 780, down from the previous week’s 785.
Tennessee held steady in the percentage of people getting tested for COVID-19 who are positive for it. Statewide, that percentage was 29.99, slightly lower than last week’s 30.1%.
State public health agencies have counted more than 2.24 million cases of COVID-19 in Tennessee since the start of the pandemic. Statewide, 27,223 people have died as a result of the novel coronavirus.
About 55.3% of Tennesseans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the CDC. The national average is 67.3%.
Frank Gluck, the the health care reporter for The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville, contributed to this story.
