News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Cookeville Regional CEO Paul Korth said patients recently treated for COVID-19 seem sicker than previous cases.
Seven people are currently being treated at CRMC. Putnam County reported a total of 676 COVID-19 cases Tuesday based on data from the Tennessee Department of Health. The county’s average number of new cases over the last 14 days stands at 7.5.
“We kind of anticipated this as the state started to open things back up, we have to, we’ve got to open our country back up,” Korth said. “We just have to be smart about what we do as individuals.”
Korth said those admitted have also trended younger in recent days. CRMC has admitted a patient as young as 17.
He said people are most likely not social distancing the way they ought to or wearing masks as they should. Emphasizing the need to keep your hands away from your face, Korth said the average person should be washing his/her hands “dozens of times per day.”
Only Nashville and Memphis have tested at a higher rate than the Upper Cumberland. According to Department of Health data, 9,098 residents per 100,000 have been tested across the region. The positive test rate per 100,000 across the Upper Cumberland ranks behind the majority of middle and west Tennessee regions.
