By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

Tennessee state health officials announced the state’s first case of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus.  The patient is an adult male from Williamson County who had recently traveled out-ofstate. The patient has a mild illness and is isolated at home.

Image/Hannah A Bullock; Azaibi Tamin

The patient traveled on a nonstop, round-trip flight between Boston, Mass., and the Nashville International Airport. The patient was asymptomatic while traveling. The Tennessee Department of Health is in close contact with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Tennessee Coronavirus Task Force Member Doug Kreulen, chief executive officer of Nashville International Airport about this case.

Giardia in Black and White

“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


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