Anderson County’s COVID cases up 30.6%; 3 deaths

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled graduations across the country. In Florida, Cocoa Beach Junior/Senior High School came up with an alternative: a beach walk in their caps and gowns … six feet apart. The event was so popular, it is now a tradition the day before their actual graduation.

New coronavirus cases leaped in Tennessee in the week ending Sunday, rising 39.4% as 9,004 cases were reported. The previous week had 6,460 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Tennessee ranked 34th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week, coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 11.3% from the week before, with 702,236 cases reported. With 2.05% of the country’s population, Tennessee had 1.28% of the country’s cases in the last week. Across the country, 32 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Anderson County reported 64 cases and three deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 49 cases and three deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 22,341 cases and 340 deaths.

Within Tennessee, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Hancock County with 242 cases per 100,000 per week; Shelby County with 220; and Davidson County with 213. The Centers for Disease Control abd Prevention (CDC) says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Knox County

Adding the most new cases overall were Shelby County, with 2,058 cases; Davidson County, with 1,477 cases; and Knox County, with 503. Weekly case counts rose in 76 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week’s pace were in Shelby, Davidson and Hamilton counties.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Tennessee ranked 45th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 62.2% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 77.7%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

In the week ending Wednesday, Tennessee reported administering another 38,585 vaccine doses, including 4,398 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 44,602 vaccine doses, including 4,850 first doses. In all, Tennessee reported it has administered 9,971,152 total doses.

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Across Tennessee, cases fell in 14 counties, with the best declines in Weakley County, with 5 cases from 18 a week earlier; in Cumberland County, with 28 cases from 34; and in Pickett County, with 0 cases from 5.

66 Tennesseans died last week

In Tennessee, 66 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 104 people were reported dead.

A total of 2,051,779 people in Tennessee have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 26,435 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 83,984,644 people have tested positive and 1,004,733 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

Tennessee’s COVID-19 hospital admissions rising

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, May 29.

Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

Hospitals in 34 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 33 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 35 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Anderson County reported 64 additional COVID-19 cases this week