NASHVILLE – Tennessee ranked first in the nation early this week for highest per-capita rate of new COVID-19 infections per 100,000 people over a seven-day period, a distinction that eased on Tuesday, when the Volunteer State fell to second place, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The seven-day rolling average rate of new infections for Tennessee stood at 117.9 cases per 100,000 as of Tuesday. Only Oklahoma had more – 125.5 cases per 100,000, according to the CDC’s website.
Regardless, critics charged Tuesday that Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee should be moving more aggressively.
“For the sake of love of God, @GovBillLee, are you planning on doing anything here? Anything at all?” tweeted Tennessee Senate Minority Leader Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville. “The entire state is a hot spot.”
The situation “can’t be blamed on national or regional trends,” Yarbro said. “The current outbreak is clearly worse in the jurisdiction for which you are the governor. Lead!”