Thursday (3/5/2020) the Tennessee Department of Health announced the state's first case of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. That case was confirmed to be in nearby Williamson County. TDH has released additional information regarding the case as well as the availability of tests in Tennessee.
Preliminary Information
• The TDH State Public Health Laboratory tested the individual, and has submitted results to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation.
• The patient is an adult male from Williamson County who had recently traveled out-of-state. The patient has a mild illness and is isolated at home.
Additional Details
• TDH has tested a total of eight individuals for COVID-19 including the one presumptive positive case announced today. Two additional tests remain in progress.
• The TDH State Public Health Laboratory has the ability to test 85 additional individuals at this time. The CDC is providing overflow testing if needed, as states build additional capacity. TDH is prioritizing testing for those who had contact with the infected individual.
• Tennessee's COVID-19 patient traveled on a nonstop, round-trip flight between Boston, Mass., and the Nashville International Airport. The patient was asymptomatic while traveling. TDH is in close contact with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Tennessee Coronavirus Task Force Member Doug Kreulen, chief executive officer of Nashville International Airport about this case.
• TDH will announce testing results of household contacts of the COVID-19 patient as well as any additional positive test results.
COVID-19 Task Force Convening, Open Press
• The next COVID-19 media briefing will be held Monday, March 9 at 4 p.m. CDT in the Tennessee State Capitol Executive Conference Room, at the meeting of Governor's Coronavirus Task Force.
TDH has launched a Tennessee Coronavirus Public Information Line effective at 10 a.m. Central time today in partnership with the Tennessee Poison Center. The hotline number is 877-857-2945 and will be available from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Central daily. Call volume has been high; callers are urged to be patient if they receive a busy signal and try their call at a later time.
People with concerns about their health should contact their health care providers. TDH has additional information available at www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov.html. The CDC has updated information and guidance available online at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
