The number of COVID-19 cases in DeKalb County continued to climb at a rapid pace last week, threatening to top last December and January’s pandemic peak in the area. With the Delta variant reported as twice as contagious, and now the primary strain in cases reported, infection rates amongst school age individuals is far out pacing that of the elderly.
As of September 2, DeKalb County has reported 413 active cases, with 3,502 total cases reported and 3,089 recovered or inactive. There have been 59 deaths attributed to the virus, with 98 currently hospitalized. There were 64 cases reported in the county on August 28 alone, the highest one-day count since December 13, 2020, which had 65 cases reported.
Among age groups, the highest case counts are with school age individuals between 11 and 20 years of age. The 21-30 group is the second highest, with the 31-40 group third. Overall, people between the age of 11 and 60 are reporting higher infections rates than the 61 and older age groups.
Across the DeKalb County School District, there are 92 active cases reported as of September 3, with 57 at DeKalb County High School, 18 at DeKalb Middle School, 11 at Northside, four cases at Smithville Elementary, and two at DeKalb West. School officials also report there are 271 students in quarantine, and 27 staff absent due to positive cases or quarantine.
Officials believe that the higher infection rates among younger individuals is due to the Delta variant, which is two times more contagious than the earlier strain. Delta variant also causes more severe illness than previous variants in unvaccinated people.
The greatest risk of transmission is among unvaccinated people who are much more likely to get infected, and therefore transmit the virus. Fully vaccinated people get COVID-19 (known as breakthrough infections) less often than unvaccinated people. People infected with the Delta variant, including fully vaccinated people with symptomatic breakthrough infections, can transmit the virus to others, however, vaccinated people appear to spread the virus for a shorter time.
Case counts continue to spike across the Middle Tennessee region as well. In Warren County, September 2, data shows 800 active cases, with 6,753 total cases reported and 5,953 recovered. That county reports 92 deaths and 129 hospitalized.
Cannon County reports 184 active cases, with 2,284 total and 2,100 recovered. They report 32 deaths and 67 hospitalized.
In Wilson County the case counts are exploding. They report 1,697 active cases, with 23,225 total cases and 21,528 recovered. Wilson reports 275 deaths and 589 hospitalized.
Smith County matched their highest one-day case count on August 28, with 42 cases. That matches peak case numbers from December 13, 2020. They have a total of 3,450 cases, with 3,092 recovered, and 358 active. They also report 41 deaths and 91 hospitalized.
In Putnam County, there are 1,066 active cases, with 13,799 total and 12,733 recovered. They report 185 deaths and 422 hospitalized.
On August 31, 2021, White County nearly surpassed their New Year’s Day peak of 63 cases in one day with 61 positive cases reported. They report 379 active cases, with 4,389 total and 4,010 recovered. White County also reports 78 deaths and 176 hospitalized.
The big cities are being hit hard. In Rutherford County there were 549 cases reported on August 30, alone. They have 4,039 active cases, with 52,186 total and 48,147 recovered. They report 474 deaths and 1,026 hospitalized.
Nashville continues to be a hot spot for infections. Davidson County reported 5,723 active cases, with 104,846 total cases and 99,123 recovered. There have been 1,006 deaths in the Metro area, with 2,696 hospitalized.
With the rise of case numbers and the more contagious Delta variant spreading, it is more important than ever that people get vaccinated as soon as possible. The vaccine is the best defense against COVID-19 and has proven effective at protecting against all forms of the virus including the Delta variant.
Even those who previously believed themselves to be at a lower risk of severe illness from COVID-19 should exercise caution until they are fully vaccinated. Getting vaccinated and exercising caution in public activities helps protect you and those around you.
