More than 11,000 Tennesseans tested for COVID-19 in two days, health department says

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On April 15, Gov. Bill Lee announced free COVID-19 testing for all Tennesseans who felt they needed it, regardless of symptoms.

"You no longer have to have those classic symptoms of fever, cough or shortness of breath to qualify for testing," said Dr. Lisa Piercey, Tennessee's Commissioner of Health. "If you think you need a test, we will test you."

On April 18 and 19, the Tennessee National Guard opened 15 drive-through testing sites across the state. Select county health departments also offered weekend testing hours to expand access.

In total, the Tennessee Department of Health said 11,230 tests for the novel coronavirus were administered in two days.

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"As we look to reboot our state's economy, we have to have a greater understanding of how this virus is operating in Tennessee," Gov. Bill Lee said on Wednesday. "We need every Tennessean who isn't feeling well to understand that they have access to testing."

On Sunday, the state reported results for 6,512 coronavirus tests. That's the largest number of results reported in a single day since the state began reporting data from private and public health laboratories. 

In total, the state has reported results for more than 97,000 tests. Of those, about 7.3 percent have come back positive.

The weekend test results will be available in about 72 hours, TDH said.

"This increased testing capacity will empower our citizens to make decisions around their health as they consider how it is that they will get back into the workforce," Gov. Bill Lee said Wednesday. "We've known that this is an important part of preparing for opening the economy back up in a measured way."

Compared with the other states and the District of Columbia on a per capita basis, Tennessee ranks fifteenth.

Data from the COVID Tracking Project shows tests have been administered for about 1,422 of every 100,000 Tennesseans.

That percentage is expected to rise as testing capacity continues to expand across the state. 

A full list of assessment sites can be found on the Tennessee Department of Health's website by clicking this link.

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