NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne) -- New data from Vanderbilt University shows the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 are again on the rise in Metro Nashville.
Mayor John Cooper has made a declining number of new coronavirus infections one of six metrics he says will be used to determine when a restart of the city's economy will begin.
Dr. Melinda Buntin of Vanderbilt’s Department of Health Policy presented the new numbers to reporters Monday during Mayor Cooper’s daily pandemic briefing. She provided seven weeks’ worth of data beginning March 15.
Dr. Buntin’s running daily average for new COVID-19 cases in Metro shows the number of new infections peaked in late March at 60 per day. The number of cases declined steadily for the next week to about 40 cases per day, but began climbing again on about April 5.
The data shows Nashville’s outbreak growing steadily for the past month to a current average of nearly 100 new infections per day.
On Tuesday morning, Metro reported a total of 3,332 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and increase of 131 cases in the past 24 hours. There are currently 3,322 confirmed infection citywide.
Health officials report five more Nashville residents died overnight, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related fatalities in the city to 32.
