tennessee

The federal government has given approval for Tennessee to provide Medicaid coverage to some children of middle-class families. To qualify, the children have to have disabilities or other complex medical needs.

Some local Tennessee counties are reporting record-breaking numbers of early and mail-in ballots this election. 

A new analysis by Vanderbilt University’s Department of Health Policy finds a link between lower hospitalizations and mask mandates in Tennessee.

Nearly every part of the state has seen hospitalizations grow this month, but the most dramatic growth is in hospitals that pull at least three-quarters of their patients from places without mask requirements. They have nearly four times the patients as in early July.

  Hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients show no sign of slowing down in Tennessee, with a new high almost every day. But so far, the surge has not triggered the state’s plan to launch expanded sites for their care.

The alternative care sites in Nashville and Memphis have gone through “functional exercises” within the last few months to make sure they can launch quickly if needed, according to a Tennessee Department of Health spokesperson. But so far, they have not been ordered to activate.

When a vaccine for COVID-19 is approved for use, it will be the state government who determines who gets it first. All states were required to submit their draft plans to federal authorities by this week. Tennessee will distribute its allotment based mostly on population, not severity of recent outbreaks.

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 have shot up 30% in Tennessee since the start of October. And the number of patients in intensive care units is near an all-time high — approaching 1,200 — with health officials saying they are older and sicker than earlier in the pandemic.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is working from home after a member of his security detail tested positive for COVID-19.

The governor’s office announced the news in a statement this afternoon. It says Lee tested negative and will quarantine until further notice.

Early voting has started in Tennessee for the Nov. 3 election. Wednesday marks the first day of Tennessee's in-person early voting period, which runs Monday through Saturday until Thursday, Oct. 29. 

A federal judge has ruled that Tennessee's 48-hour waiting period law for abortions is unconstitutional.