Gov. Bill Lee has confirmed the first case of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, in Tennessee.
The 44-year-old patient is an adult male from Williamson County and is currently isolated in his home with mild symptoms, the governor said on a conference call Thursday morning. He had recently traveled domestically and returned to the area five days ago. State officials could not confirm if he traveled through Nashville International Airport.
Tennessee is the 18th U.S. state to report the virus, and the fourth in the Southeast. So far in the United States, 11 deaths have been linked to the virus, with 161 confirmed cases across the country.
The announcement comes a day after Lee formed a task force to bolster the state’s ongoing readiness efforts. Tennessee Department of Health epidemiologist Mary-Margaret Fill said last week state laboratories testing supplies are currently limited, but today said she is confident in the state's ability to contain the spread. They are currently working to track and test anyone the patient was in contact with while in Tennessee. He was not active outside of his home since returning to the state, health officials said.
This post originally appeared at our sister publication Nashville Post.
