(Mike Osborne) — All of Tennessee’s COVID-19 metrics are now indicating the omicron surge is subsiding, but case counts, hospitalizations, active cases and deaths all remain at elevated levels. The state's annual flu season also appears to be drawing to a close.
Statewide, new COVID-19 infection counts fell this past week for the first time since late November.
Virus related hospitalizations are down slightly. The number of Tennesseans who are currently coronaviurs positive peaked back on January 23rd at a whopping 205,000 infections.
COVID related fatalities have now fallen statewide three weeks in a row but remain disturbingly high at an average of more than 400 deaths a week over the past month.
The number of new COVID-19 infections reported among the state’s school age children fell last week for the first time since early December. It now appears the omicron wave peaked two weeks ago in Tennessee's schools at an all-time high of more than 23,500 new childhood cases recorded in just seven days.
New coronavirus infections among Nashville’s school age children also fell last week. Childhood case counts across Metro dropped 20 percent to just over 1,300 new reported infections in seven days.
Tennessee’s flu season has peaked as well with new infections now on the decline. Data from the Centers for Disease Control suggests influenza cases peaked statewide the last week of December. The CDC currently rates Tennessee’s seasonal flu case load as moderate.