Lee: ‘Stay at Home’ through April 30; Knox COVID-19 recovery cases 75%
While Gov. Bill Lee announced earlier today his “Stay at Home” coronavirus pandemic order will run through Thursday, April 30, the latest Knox County COVID-19 numbers (as of 11 a.m., Monday, April 13) are:
• 166 cases, with 126 of those having recovered (75.90 percent)
• 36 cases are active (21.69 percent)
• 20 victims are hospitalized (12.05 percent)
• 4 have died (2.41 percent)
Statewide
Pointing out the state has reduced the rate of COVID-19 cases to indicate “10 (consecutive) days of single digit percentage growth,” Lee said the state numbers as of 4 p.m. EDT today are:
• 5,610 cases
• 579 hospitalized
• 1,671 recoveries
• 109 deaths
“Our aggressive testing of more than 76,195 tests has uncovered an average positively rate between 6 and 8 percent consistently,” he added. “Our hospitalization rate continues to be stable.”
As for resources to adequately fight the pandemic, “As of today there are 5,287 open-staffed hospital beds in our state,” Lee said. “Our hospital capacity continues to remain in a stable position so that Tennesseans who need care can get that care.”
“Our contingency plans for alternate-care sites remains on forward track …,” he added.
“We’re not out of the wood yet, and it could be some time, but it is clear that the actions we’ve taken at the state combined with the local level — most importantly with the determination of our citizens and the bravery of our first responders and health-care workers on the front lines, those efforts have saved countless lives across Tennessee.”
However, “Until a vaccine or a therapy is widely available for Tennesseans, this virus will be a present reality for us to manage and consider whenever we’re making decisions,” Lee said.
“However, it is clear that our economy cannot stay shut down for months on end, so we’re left with a clear but complicated task,” he added. “… Unemployment claims have been 25 times their normal rate, with more than 250,000 initial claims in the last three weeks.”
With the Stay at Home order announced, Lee did add the state will “plan to begin reopening our economy in May.”
