Updated 10/20/20

Eight months after the first case of COVID-19 was identified in Middle Tennessee, the Columbia-based Maury Regional Medical Group and the Southern Tennessee Regional Health System are treating more patients with the virus.
With a total of 49 confirmed patients hospitalized with the virus and three more being treated with COVID-like symptoms and awaiting test results on Monday at Maury Regional, leaders of the regional medical network urged the public to continue taking precautions to prevent any additional spread of the illness.
Daily reports show that 51 people in Giles County have been hospitalized since May 9th and the county has 34 fatalities.
This past weekend, more than 30 people have tested positive for the virus through Maury Regional's network of care centers in Maury, Marshall, Giles, Lawrence, Wayne, and Hickman counties indicating the virus is beginning to make its way through the state's rural communities.
Doctors call on southern Middle Tennesseans who know they have or suspect they have potentially been exposed to the virus to remain extremely cautious and avoid contact with others.
Small home gatherings have become the emerging threat through which the disease is being spread, especially in the six-county region.
Reports show between 80% to 90% of all cases come from individuals sharing air, and masks greatly reduce the chance of the virus being in the air.
The medical center's leaders continue to reiterate the medical ongoing call for members of the public to wear face masks to protect one another.