Nineteen Madison County residents have been approved for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing by the Tennessee Department of Health State Public Health Laboratory, as of Mar. 19. Ten of those have tested negative for COVID-19, while nine of those tests are still pending, according to a Thursday afternoon news release from the Jackson-Madison County Health Department. These numbers do not include private testing labs.
Those stats were released as Madison County announced that it will declare a State of Emergency due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, the Jackson Sun reported Thursday afternoon. The declaration is scheduled to be made at 10:30 a.m. at the Madison County Courthouse by Madison County Mayor Jimmy Harris.
While no cases have been reported in Madison County, there were 154 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Tennessee as of 4 p.m. Thursday, according to TN.gov. The TN Dept. of Health State Public Health Laboratory has completed 497 tests, with 464 testing negative and 33 testing positive. All other commercial and private laboratories reported 121 tested positive, with no other data (tests completed and negative tests) available.
Those who have tested positive are from 17 different counties, with 15 of those hospitalized and no deaths as of 4 p.m. Thursday, said Dr. Lisa Piercey, commissioner of the TN Department of Health during a press conference with Gov. Bill Lee. Davidson County has the highest confirmed cases with 75 reported, with Williamson County at 30 confirmed cases and 26 cases reported as being residents of other states/countries.
TN.gov also included the age ranges of the state’s confirmed cases:
0-10: 2
11-20: 9
21-30: 43
31-40: 32
41-50: 24
51-60: 18
61-70: 10
71-80: 8
80+: 8
JMC Health Department said residents who may have been exposed to COVID-19 should contact their primary care provider for testing. Please call your provider before you go to the office. If you experience severe illness and need to go to the emergency room, please call ahead.
Providers may choose to use commercial laboratories for testing.
The Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department is not testing for COVID-19, the release said.
The health department encourages residents to take routine precautions used in guarding against respiratory
viruses:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing
- Don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands
- Stay home if you are sick
- Stay away from people who are sick
Find more information about COVID-19 from the Tennessee Department of Health at https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated information and guidance available online at www.cdc.gov/COVID19.