The COVID-19 pandemic has stabilized in recent weeks across the county. Deaths are still a major concern. In Knox County, 626 residents have died from COVID-19.
"It's going to step down periodically. It's going in the right direction. We'd like to see more of this downtrend," Buchanan said.
Meanwhile, Knox County's vaccination effort has borne fruit. About 40% of the county has received at least one dose of vaccine. About 120,000 people, or roughly one quarter of the county's population, are fully vaccinated.
"Between vaccination and some people having natural immunity, I think that's what's contributing to our decrease in numbers," Buchanan said.