Health Department Marks the 200th COVID-19 Death of a Hamilton County Resident, 20,000+ Cases

HAMILTON COUNTY, TN – The Hamilton County Health Department announces the 200^th death of a Hamilton county resident due to COVID-19 infection today. The announcement comes amid rapidly increasing COVID-19 cases that only a few days ago surpassed 20,000 cumulative cases.

“On behalf of all our health department staff, we extend our sincerest condolences to the families who have lost a loved one to COVID-19,” said Health Department Administrator Becky Barnes. “We invite the community to take a moment today and pause with us to reflect on the human cost of this pandemic.”

The 200^th COVID death comes 2 months after the 100^th death announcement, which took 6 months to reach following the first death on March 25, 2020.

Similarly, Hamilton County recorded its 10,000^th case on October 3, 205 days after the first case. The County recorded its 20,000^th case on December 5, just 64 days later.

The graph below shows the shortened doubling time:

Those most at risk for COVID-related death tend to be ages 61 or older and those with underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, or chronic lung diseases. According to Hamilton County data, ages 61 and older make up 83% of the county’s COVID-related deaths. The male death rate (56%) is higher than female rate (44%).

The confirmed case rate continues to be most prevalent among 21-30 year olds.  The second highest case rate falls on the 31-40 age group.

“We plead with every resident to do everything they can to protect themselves, their family, and their community from further spread of the virus,” said Barnes.

The best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 infection continues to be:

• Social distancing of 6 feet or more
• Wearing a mask
• Frequently washing or sanitizing hands
• Avoiding crowded indoor and outdoor settings
• Postponing travel whether local or out of the area
• Safeguarding those most at risk

Free health department COVID-19 testing is available 7 days a week at the Alstom plant from 10:00AM-2:30PM. Please note, the entrance to the testing site has been changed and is now located across the street from the Southeast Tennessee Development District on Riverfront Parkway.

Everyone in the car at the testing site needs to wear a mask.

To arrange free transportation to the testing site, or for more information about COVID-19, call the Health Department’s hotline at (423) 209-8383. For more resources, visit Health.HamiltonTN.org.

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