New Virus Cases Continue Steady Decline
New virus case numbers fell again to 96, the first time the figure has been in double digits in recent weeks.
Total current active cases of the virus rose again, though, to 1,731, up slightly from the 1,722 reported Tuesday morning. That figure had dipped to 1,399 recently.
The new testing figures remain high. The Shelby County Health Department now reports the total number of tests given, not just how many individuals have been tested. The figure rose from 430,089 on Tuesday to 431,848 on Wednesday.
The new reporting process changed the weekly positivity rates going back to March, in many cases the figures were reduced. For example, in July’s height of the pandemic (so far), the positivity rate on tests was around 16 percent. With the new testing reporting process, the figure was reduced to 12 percent in numbers released by the health department.
The latest weekly positivity rate rose slightly from the week before. This figure enjoyed weeks of declines following the county mask mandate and the closure of bars. The average rate of positive tests for the week of September 6th was 6.5 percent, up slightly from the 6 percent recorded the week before.
The total number of COVID-19 cases here stands at 30,690. Three new deaths were reported in the last 24 hours for a total of 449.
There are 7,032 contacts in quarantine, a drop from the 7,178 in quarantine Tuesday.
