(WJHL) – Friday set a montly record for the number of deaths reported in one month, breaking a previous record less than halfway through November.

The Tennessee Department of Health has reported 85 deaths in northeast Tennessee counties in November as of data reported on Friday, breaking September’s record of 82 deaths reported for the month.

That means about 25.8% – more than a quarter – of total COVID-19 deaths have been reported in the past 13 days.

Northeast Tennessee counties also reported a record 25 hospitalizations on Friday, with 13 hospitalizations reported in Sullivan County alone.

TDH has reported 129 hospitalizations so far in the month of November, less than 100 hospitalizations away from the current monthly record of 218 hospitalizations reported in August.

By this time in August, TDH had reported 97 hosptializations in the region.

October currently holds the record for the most COVID-19 cases reported in one month – 5,887, or about 33% of the total number of cases reported so far. Thirteen days into November, TDH has reported just shy of 3,000 new cases of COVID-19, and a daily record of 472 new cases was reported in the region on Monday.

Active COVID-19 cases hit a peak of 2,661 cases on October 30*, taking a bumpy ride down to 2,150 active cases reported on Friday. Active cases fell by 402 cases from Monday.

The cumulative positivity rate continued a steady climb, nearing 10% by the end of the week. Daily positivity rates remained above 14% each day this week.

Monday brought records in the 5-18 age group as well. TDH reported 64 new cases in this demographic on Monday, with 170 cases reported in this demographic throughout the entire week.

So far, TDH has reported 389 COVID-19 cases in the 5-18 demographic in northeast Tennessee for the month of November.

Southwest Virginia

So far, the Virginia Department of Health has reported 1,412 new COVID-19 cases in southwest Virginina, brining the region close to the monthy record of 1,930 cases reported in October.

The region has reported 542 COVID-19 cases this week, which means about 9% of all cases reported in the region have been reported since Monday.

The 14-day trend ended the week at an all time high of about 111 new cases reported per day, and so far, the region has reported 10 deaths in the month of November, a little less than 10% of total deaths.

Every county except for Buchanan County has reported a record increase in the past two weeks, and the region as a whole reported a record 217 new cases on Saturday.

The death toll remained under 100 until November 2, and the 14-day trend of new deaths rarely emerges above 1. The recent surge in new cases and hospitalizations are usually trailed by a surge of deaths, according to Ballad Health experts.

*Since September 3, when the Tennessee Department of Health changed their criteria for determining active/infectious COVID-19 cases.