- Tennessee registered more new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents than any other state in the week through December 23, data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show.
- Governor Bill Lee on Tuesday urged people to wear masks and stay home during the holiday, saying the state is in its “darkest part” of the pandemic.
- Tennessee was “the ground zero for an increase in COVID-19,” he said.
- Tennessee has recorded more than half a million cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, about 3% of all infections. Its population represents about 2% of the USA.
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Tennessee recorded the highest rate of new coronavirus infections in any state in the US last week, according to data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – prompting the state governor to declare the “ground zero” for the increase in the country’s COVID-19.
On average, 127.9 new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 Tennessee residents were confirmed each day of the week through December 23. This placed it above California, the second highest state, with 111.2 daily infections per 100,000 people.
Governor Bill Lee issued an executive order on Monday, asking residents to work from home whenever possible and limiting social gatherings.
“We are in the darkest part of this pandemic in Tennessee. Our cases are increasing, it is a very serious situation,” Lee said in a video on Tuesday.
He asked residents to wear masks and only spend the holidays with people in their own home, adding that the state is “ground zero for an outbreak in COVID-19.”
In a previous tweet, he noted that holiday meetings and extended time indoors “were the main drivers in the spread of COVID-19 like wildfire.”
On December 22, Tennessee recorded more than half a million cases of COVID-19, about 3% of all infections in the U.S., including 6,269 deaths, according to the Tennessee State Government. Its population represents about 2% of the USA.
The state began vaccinating frontline healthcare professionals on December 17, six days after the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration approved the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech.
In the first round of vaccine distribution, Tennessee is receiving 56,000 doses.
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On Sunday, Lee’s wife Maria tested positive for COVID-19. Lee himself is isolating himself, but has no symptoms.
Early in the pandemic, Tennessee became one of the first states to reopen after a month-long executive shelter order.
At the end of April, the state allowed the return of internal restaurants and non-essential retail.