Josh Peterson

Multiple crews from Duck River Electric have been assisting neighboring Middle Tennessee Electric Member Corporation with rebuilding electric infrastructure  following Tuesday’s (March 3) tornadoes that left wide paths of destruction across much o northern Middle Tennessee, including Wilson County, which was reportedly the hardest hit area of Middle Tennessee’s electric service area where an estimated 300 electric poles were broken. 

 (Pictured below, Duck River Electric crews work to restore power in Wilson County)

The Tennessee Department of Health has received positive test results for a case of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus in Tennessee. The TDH State Public Health Laboratory tested the individual, and has submitted results to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation. The patient is an adult male from Williamson County who had recently traveled out-of-state. The patient has a mild illness and is isolated at home.

 “We are working closely with local health care partners to identify contacts and contain spread of this disease in our communities,” said Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP. “We’ve been anticipating identification of COVID-19 cases in Tennessee. At this time, the overall risk to the general public remains low. We are continuing to work with the CDC and other agencies to provide guidance to Tennesseans to protect their health.”

 Most patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection have mild respiratory illness with fever, cough and shortness of breath. A smaller number of patients have severe symptoms requiring hospitalization. COVID-19 is not currently widespread in the United States, so no additional precautions are recommended for the general public to take beyond normal practices to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses. These include:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing
• Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands
• Stay home if you are sick
• Stay away from people who are sick

 TDH has launched a Tennessee Coronavirus Public Information Line effective at 10 a.m. Central time today in partnership with the Tennessee Poison Center. The hotline number is 877-857-2945 and will be available from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Central daily.

 People with concerns about their health should contact their health care providers. TDH has additional information available by clicking here. The CDC has updated information and guidance available online by clicking here.