Hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Knoxville region nearing record high – WATE 6 On Your Side

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) COVID-19 hospital inpatients in the Knoxville region are approaching a pandemic-era high, according to new data released Tuesday by the Knox County Health Department.

The 19 hospitals in the Knoxville region report 635 patients as of Aug. 30, including 169 in the ICU and 112 on ventilators. Its the most regional inpatients since Jan. 8 and just 35 fewer than the all-time high set on Jan. 7.

There were 201 total COVID-19 inpatients in the region on Aug. 1. Earlier this month,Tennessee Health DepartmentCommissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey revealed that the first half of August has seenmore new COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state than any full month of the pandemic.

Since the last update on Aug. 26, Knox County has reported 985 new active COVID-19 cases and 17 new deaths. There are now 4,654 active cases in the county, a percent increase of 275% since Aug. 4.

A total of 45 deaths have been recorded in Knox County in the month of August, making it the deadliest single month since February. A total of 701 people have died since the beginning of the pandemic.

As of Aug. 29, the seven-day COVID-19 positivity percentage average is 23.43%, meaning nearly 1 and every 4 tests administered in the last 7 days are positive. The 7-day average at the beginning of the month was 14.69%.

The Tennessee National Guard has been deployed to regional hospitals including The University of Tennessee Medical Center, Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System, LaFollette Healthcare and Johnson City Medical Center in Johnson City.

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Hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Knoxville region nearing record high - WATE 6 On Your Side