COVID-19 Bulletin #26 - April 27, 2020


Monday, April 27, 2020 | 07:00pm

Today, Governor Bill Lee provided an update on Tennessee’s efforts regarding COVID-19. Gov. Lee’s daily press conferences can be viewed live Monday through Thursday at 3 p.m. CDT here. Visit tn.gov/covid19 for up-to-date administrative action.

Key Updates

The Tennessee Pledge: Reopening Tennessee

Universal Guidance for Tennessee Businesses can be accessed here.

Restaurant Industry Guidance can be accessed here.

Retail Industry Guidance can be accessed here.

Additional information on Tennessee's Economic Recovery Group is available here.

Weekend Testing Update

This weekend, with the help of the National Guard and Department of Health personnel, we conducted 7,000 free COVID-19 tests to Tennesseans, regardless of traditional symptoms. Unified-Command Group has conducted more than 18,000 tests in a two-week period and contributed to the more than 150,000 tests that have been processed in our state to date.

Aggressive testing is key to the state’s reopen strategy, and we urge more Tennesseans to take advantage of this service, especially those who begin returning to work during our phased re-open. As a reminder, Tennesseans can receive a free COVID-19 test 5 days a week at their local health department.

Drive-through testing sites will also be available during the weekend of May 2-3. A full list of sites is available here, and additional information on Tennessee’s aggressive testing push is available here.

Antibody Testing

As Gov. Lee focuses on expanding COVID-19 testing, the Unified Command Group is working to provide information to help the Tennesseans understand how serology, or antibody, can, and cannot, inform the State’s re-opening strategy.

Although the research is still ongoing, this will give us a first estimate of the number of Tennesseans with COVID-19 antibodies, which will assist us in developing our strategy for more widespread antibody test of the general population. The Tennessee Department of Health will be distributing a technical brief to health care providers in Tennessee with details about antibody testing and its limitations. TDH is also working on a plan to test of up 10,000 health care workers in Tennessee’s public teaching hospitals.

Q: How is a COVID-19 antibody test different than the nasal swab test I received at the health department?

A: An antibody test involves taking a blood sample to detect cells in the body that have previously been exposed to, and fought off, a virus. A nasal swab test only detects whether a patient currently has a viral infection.

Q: It seems there are many antibody tests already available, doesn’t that mean the tests have been approved and proven to be effective?

A: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has only approved six COVID-19 antibody tests for clinical use, and most of these have not been widely distributed. There are many antibody tests in the FDA’s pipeline and may ultimately receive approval. However, most of the antibody tests ready for use have not been validated.

Q: Isn’t it better to know whether or not I’ve had COVID-19 by getting an antibody test?

A: The primary issue with these unproven antibody tests is they can give patients false-positive results by detecting other types of coronaviruses, usually the kind that cause the common cold. A false-positive result may lead to a conclusion that a patient has immunity to COVID-19, when what the test really shows is, at some point in time, the patient was exposed to another type of coronavirus and its antibodies are present, not the antibodies for COVID-19.

Q: If I have antibodies in my blood, doesn’t it mean I’m immune to COVID-19?

A: There is not enough data yet on COVID-19 antibody testing to prove having the antibodies will prevent a person from being re-infected with COVID-19. There are some indications most, maybe not all, people who have been infected with COVID-19 will develop antibodies in their blood that can be detected for a period of time. There isn’t enough data to confirm this is true, or if it happens to be true how long the immunity will last.

Elective Procedures Resume

On Friday, elective medical procedures will be allowed to resume so Tennessee nurses and other hospital workers can get back to work. It’s important to get hospitals back online with elective procedures so Tennesseans can safely resume more routine services, including scheduling quality of life procedures. Procedures like routine screenings and joint replacements are included in this first wave.

Tennessee State Workforce Update

The State of Tennessee will continue to weigh appropriate measures to ensure we are fiscally conservative through this pandemic. Gov. Lee has directed the Tennessee Department of Finance & Administration to temporarily freeze any new non-mission critical hires to our state’s workforce.

At the state level, we will continue to keep employees working from home until May 26th. This means that state services can continue without disruption as we work towards the gradual return of working in office.

Current Department of Health Testing Results (as of 2 p.m. 4/27)

Confirmed Cases

Hospitalizations

Fatalities

Recovered

Total Tests

9,918

837

184

4,720

154,402

For more information on COVID-19 in Tennessee, please visit the Tennessee Department of Health’s website here.


https://www.tn.gov/governor/covid-19/covid-19-dail...

2024 October
2024 September
2024 August
2024 July
2024 June
2024 May
2024 April
2024 March
2024 February
2024 January
2023 December
2023 November
2023 October
2023 September
2023 August
2023 July
2023 June
2023 May
2023 April
2023 March
2023 February
2023 January
2022 December
2022 November
2022 October
2022 September
2022 August
2022 July
2022 June
2022 May
2022 April
2022 March
2022 February
2022 January
2021 December
2021 November
2021 October
2021 September
2021 August
2021 July
2021 June
2021 May
2021 April
2021 March
2021 February
2021 January
2020 December
2020 November
2020 October
2020 September
2020 August
2020 July
2020 June
2020 May
2020 April
2020 March
2020 February
2020 January
2019 December
2019 November
2019 October
2019 September
2019 August
2019 July
2019 June
2019 May
2019 April
2019 March
2019 February
2019 January
2018 December
2018 November
2018 October
2018 September
2018 August
2018 July
2018 June
2018 May
2018 April
2018 March
2018 February
2018 January
2017 December
2017 November
2017 October
2017 September
2017 August
2017 July
2017 June
2017 May
2017 April
2017 March
2017 February
2017 January
2016 December
2016 November
2016 October
2016 September
2016 August
2016 July
2016 June
2016 May
2016 April
2016 March
2016 February
2016 January
2015 December
2015 November
2015 October
2015 September
2015 August
2015 July
2015 June
2015 May
2015 April
2015 March
2015 February
2015 January
2014 December
2014 November
2014 October
2014 September
2014 August
2014 July
2014 June
2014 May
2014 April
2014 March
2014 February
2014 January
2013 December
2013 November
2013 October
2013 September
2013 August
2013 July
2013 June
2013 May
2013 April
2013 March
2013 February
2013 January
2012 December
2012 November
2012 October
2012 September
2012 August
2012 July
2012 June
2012 May
2012 April
2012 March
2012 February
2012 January
2011 December
2011 November
2011 October
2011 September
2011 August
2011 July
2011 June
2011 May
2011 April
2011 March
2011 February
2011 January
2010 December
2010 November
2010 October
2010 September
2010 August
2010 July
2010 June
2010 May