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Vanderbilt prepares for COVID-19 "super surge" in December, January

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  Vanderbilt Medical Center moved on Monday to postpone non-emergency medical procedures as Tennessee set new records during November for COVID-19 infections and deaths.

VUMC Chief Health Systems Officer Wright Pinson made the announcement Monday. Pinson says the hospital’s bio-statisticians are warning the current surge in new COVID-19 infections will continue into January.

Pinson also notes that VUMC is now caring for virus patients who are younger and sicker. He says the number requiring ventilation and other critical care supports is on the rise.

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TENNESSEE MARKS NEW PANDEMIC HIGHS

Tennessee reported six-digit new case counts for the first time in the month just ended. There were 113,821 new infections reported statewide in November. That’s a 76 percent increase over the previous high in October.

There were more virus related deaths recorded during November than in April, May, June and July combined. A total of 1249 Tennesseans died of COVID-19 related complications last month, a new all-time high. 

GREATER NASHVILLE COUNTIES SET NEW RECORDS

Nashville also marked an all-time high for new COVID-19 infections in November. Some 10,509 Metro residents tested virus positive last month. That exceeds the previous high recorded during the July surge. It’s also 70 percent higher than the new case count for October.

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A total of 69 Nashvillians died of virus related complications in November. That’s well below the all-time high of 85 fatalities recorded in July, but significantly higher than the 40 deaths reported in October.

Every county in the Greater Nashville area set record highs in November for new COVID-19 infections among school age children. Metro Nashville saw the smallest increase. The city recorded a 35 percent jump in virus positive children between five and 18 years of age.

The number of virus positive children increased by more than half in Rutherford and Williamson Counties. Wilson and Sumner counties saw childhood cases double. The number of COVID-19 infections among children in Wilson County nearly tripled.

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