Coronavirus Cases in Tennessee Jump to Nearly 400 on Saturday

 

Tennessee had 371 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to the Tennessee Department of Health’s website Saturday evening.

Davidson County continued to tally the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases, at 140.

At a press conference Saturday, Nashville Democratic Mayor John Cooper announced that a 73-year-old man in the county who had coronavirus passed away from the illness Friday.

“This diagnosis reminds us that while the majority of people diagnosed with coronavirus have mild symptoms, the virus can be life threatening, and we need to take steps to protect ourselves,” Cooper said.

Alex Jahangir, who chairs that county’s Metro Coronavirus Task Force, said at that same press conference that 19 confirmed cases in the county have recovered and are now cleared.

Meanwhile, Williamson County, adjacent to Davidson County, still ranked as having the second highest number of confirmed cases, numbering 47 on Saturday.

Shelby County had a dramatic increase of confirmed coronavirus cases, jumping from four confirmed coronavirus cases on Friday to 40 on Saturday.

Elsewhere on Saturday, according to the TDH’s website:

• Sumner County had 11 confirmed coronavirus cases.

• Hamilton County had seven confirmed coronavirus cases.

• Putnam and Rutherford counties had five confirmed coronavirus cases in each county.

• Knox County had four confirmed coronavirus cases.

• Dickson, Monroe, Montgomery, and Wilson counties had three confirmed coronavirus cases in each county.

• Campbell, Cheatham, Cumberland, Hamblen, Robertson, Scott, Sevier, Tipton, and Washington counties had two confirmed coronavirus cases in each county.

• Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Caroll, Cocke, Dyer, Fayette, Greene, Jefferson, Maury, Roane, and Sullivan counties had one confirmed coronavirus case in each county.

As The Tennessee Star reported Thursday, Cooper said he signed Executive Order No. 6, which declared a state of emergency throughout Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County. Cooper also announced that members of the Nashville-based Frist Foundation will donate $1 million to a fund that city officials set up to help people who have fallen ill to the coronavirus. The fund will also help people who lost their jobs or number of working hours because of the coronavirus emergency.

Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation CEO Butch Spyridon said the coronavirus emergency will hit the city’s hospitality industry the hardest.

As The Star reported,  per last week’s public health emergency declaration, bars on Lower Broadway and throughout Davidson County must close until further notice.

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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].