So ... yesterday we talked about how it was far too easy to become numb to continually climbing numbers when you looked at day-to-day comparisons. Today, we can say it's breathtakingly heartbreaking to see the jump in deaths and new cases in just 24 hours.

The state smashed the record number of daily deaths over the last day, and Nashville topped 1,000 new cases for the first time in the span of 24 hours. If it's painful to even report, we can't imagine the sheer frustration and exhaustion those of you who are treating, testing, analyzing and researching must feel like. Please know you are our heroes!

Ending on a bit of a positive note, shots are in arms with the Pfizer vaccine as hospital systems across Nashville began the process of vaccinating their staff. More good news - the Moderna vaccine ... with input from Nashville researchers ... received an affirmative endorsement from the advisory panel today. With FDA approval, the vaccine could be on its way to Tennessee by next week.

Metro Nashville

As of 9:30 today, the city reported 58,939 confirmed cases, an increase of 1,099 in 24 hours (highest jump in a single day). There are currently 6,062 active cases in Nashville, 52,459 inactive or recovered cases and 500 active hospitalizations. With 418 deaths (no new deaths since yesterday), the city has a case fatality rate of 0.71%. In Davidson County, 739,388 tests have been administered with an overall positive rate of 9.4% (and a 7-day testing percent positive of 15.8%).

Out of 8 metrics on the trend lines, Nashville has 2 in the green, 1 in the yellow and 5 in the red - transmission rate, 14-day new case trend, hospital ICU bed capacity, new cases per 100,000 residents and seven-day positivity rate. With a goal for transmission to be less than 1.00, the city's current transmission rate of 1.31 (up from 1.28 yesterday). The 14-day case trend has returned to the red with new cases categorized as increasing. Public health and testing capacity remain in the green, as they have throughout.

As of 9:30 am this morning, hospital floor bed capacity remained in the yellow with 12% availability, and ICU beds are in the red with current availability at 7% capacity. The goal for both hospital and ICU bed capacity is 20%. In his remarks today, Mayor John Cooper noted 6 out of 10 hospital beds are being occupied by those outside of Davidson County since the city serves as a regional healthcare hub. He added that while Nashville has a mask mandate, many rural areas around us do not and noted the city isn't an island.

The New Cases per 100K Residents has remained in the red for the last few weeks but has taken a sharp uptick over the last few days. The goal of the seven-day rolling average is to be less than 10. Currently, Nashville sits at 91.4 as of 9:30 am this morning. The goal for the 7-Day Positivity Rate is to see a figure at 10% or less. Currently, Nashville is now in the red with a rate of 15.8%.

More detailed data is available on the Metro Dashboard. Click here for details.

Nashville remains in a modified Phase 3 of COVID Reopening with new restrictions having been put in place over the last couple of weeks, including the Rule of 8 for indoor gatherings without a pre-approved event plan. The city also continues its mask mandate, with several nearby counties having reinstated similar mandates after letting them expire earlier. Governor Bill Lee extended the Tennessee State of Emergency tied to COVID-19 through Dec. 29.

Tennessee State

As of this afternoon, the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) confirmed an additional 8,945 new cases of COVID-19 with the state total hitting 493,230. There are currently 2,897 hospitalizations (a net gain of 21 since yesterday) and 177 new deaths for a total of 5,845 deaths and a death rate of 1.19. More than 5.1 million tests have been administered statewide (up 32,933 in 24 hours) with an 21.5% positive rate for the day. The number of inactive/recovered cases statewide is 418,724 as of this afternoon. Hospital capacity remains a concern with availability of 12% of floor beds (1,360 beds) and 9% of ICU beds (174 beds) open statewide.