NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne) -- Tennessee’s COVID-19 hospitalizations and new infection counts are headed higher again, after briefly trending lower.
The number of hospital admissions fell statewide during the week before Christmas, but have now risen 16 percent in just the past four days.
As of Wednesday morning, the number of Tennesseans being treated in Intensive Care Units had risen above 800 for the first time. There are more than 450 patients currently on a respirator.
NEW CASE COUNTS ALSO TURN HIGHER
Tennessee’s running average of new COVID-19 infections rose slightly Tuesday, after falling 11 days in a row.
New case counts began rising statewide in early October. New infections peaked on December 18th at an all-time high weekly average of just over 9,600 new cases per day.
New case counts then turned downward between Dec. 19 and this week, bottoming out at around 5400 infections Monday. Public health experts had predicted case counts would climb again following Christmas gatherings.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 related fatalities have remained stubbornly high. A total of 122 Tennesseans died Tuesday alone.
