Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron will be holding a meeting with department heads Thursday afternoon following the first reported case of coronavirus in Tennessee.

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. 

Earlier this week Gov. Bill Lee announced the formation of a Coronavirus Task Force to enhance Tennessee’s coordinated efforts to prevent, identify, and treat potential cases of COVID-19.

“As confirmed cases of the coronavirus spread across the country, it is important that Tennessee remains prepared,” said Gov. Bill Lee. “To help us be even better prepared, this group of experts will work closely with me and my administration, along with local, state, and federal agencies as we continue to monitor any potential developments. I appreciate their willingness to serve our state.”

The task force will develop and execute strong precautionary measures, resource allocation, and emergency response plans should the need arise in Tennessee.

The following Tennesseans will serve on the task force: 

• Dr. Lisa Piercey, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Health
• Dr. Penny Schwinn, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Education
• Dr. Jonathan Moorman, Infectious Disease Division Chief, East TN State University
• Dr. Martha Buchanan, Director, Knox County Metro Health Dept.
• Mike Krause, Executive Director, TN Higher Education Commission
• Bradley Jackson, President and CEO, TN Chamber of Commerce
• Dr. Tom Talbot, Chief Hospital Epidemiologist, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Dr. Jonathan Perlin, Chief Medical Officer, HCA
• Dr. Wendy Long, President and CEO, TN Hospital Association
• Dr. Sara Cross, Infectious Disease Chief, Regional One Health
• Holly Sullivan, Director of Worldwide Economic Development, Amazon
• Doug Kreulen, Chief Executive Officer, Nashville International Airport
• Jeff Aiken, President, TN Farm Bureau
• David Lusk, Director, FedEx Global Security Operations Center
• Rebecca Kelly, State Director, AARP Tennessee

For more information regarding COVID-19, visit https://www.tn.gov/health.