Officials confirm first positive COVID-19 case in Bradley County

BRADLEY COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) — Friday morning, Bradley County and Cleveland city and health officials confirmed the first positive case of COVID-19 in Bradley County.

According to the health department, the patient is between the ages of 41-50 years old. Officials would not give the patient’s gender or how long they have been exhibiting symptoms. However, Bradley County Mayor Gary Davis said the patient is not in serious condition and in quarantine.

Mayor Davis will be declaring a state of emergency for Bradley County Friday afternoon.

“It’s not about old people,” Mayor Davis said. “It’s about all of us, but the biggest numbers are in the younger people. So I emphasize to the younger people, this is about you also. You may not have symptoms. You may not be feeling bad. It is more serious for the older population. But you could be the very ones that’s spreading the virus to that older generation, so we need everyone to take this serious.”

The City of Cleveland has already closed down city park playgrounds in order to continue to deter large gatherings.

The health department said they will be taking measures to backtrack the positive-test patients steps in attempt to test anyone who came in contact with them.

As of Friday morning, there is no public testing site available for Bradley County residents. Officials urge anyone who feels sick or is exhibiting symptoms to contact their local health care provider. There, the doctors and nurses will direct the patient to the next steps.

The health department does not know how many tests are available nor how many citizens in Bradley County have already been tested. The latest numbers on the spread of COVID-19 can be found on the state’s health department website, tn.gov/health.