The first case of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, was reported in Georgia’s neighboring state of Tennessee on Thursday.
Gov. Bill Lee announced the first case was detected in a Williamson County man, according to the Tennessean. The 44-year-old patient had traveled out of state, but there were no specifics provided on where. However, Lee and Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Lisa Piercy confirmed that he did not travel out of the country. According to news station WHDH, the metro Nashville man had traveled on a nonstop, round-trip flight between Boston and Nashville International Airport.
“Tennessee’s COVID-19 patient traveled on a nonstop, round-trip flight between Boston, Mass., and the Nashville International Airport. The patient was asymptomatic while traveling. TDH 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,” health officials said in a news release.
The governor noted during his news conference Thursday that though the threat of the novel virus was “very serious,” it was important to keep things in perspective as many of the cases are mild. Piercy told the media during the conference that TDH would work with federal agencies, including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, to address further testing and strategies to address the health epidemic.
“While we are saddened to learn that this virus has now reached Tennessee, our recent preparedness efforts, that the governor just mentioned, have positioned us to respond swiftly and thoroughly,” Piercy said.
Piercy said the department of health became aware of the case Wednesday night. The man infected had been traveling about five days prior to his diagnosis.
No more than a handful of Tennesseeans have been tested for the virus so far, the state's chief medical officer Tim Jones told television station WAFF 48.
Lee made note of the news of the virus coming at a particularly difficult time for the state. On Monday night, more than 20 people died after a series of tornadoes hit Middle Tennessee. Hundreds of families have been displaced due to the twisters. President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Nashville on Friday to assess the damage and comfort some of those affected.
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“People are suffering, just beginning to recover,” Lee told the Tennessean. “Tens of thousands of people dealing with the effects of the tornadoes. And now this news about the coronavirus. But I think the thing we need to remind is that preparedness is how we deal with situations like this.”
As of Thursday morning, the virus had infected about 93,000 people and killed 3,200, according to the World Health Organization.
