The report addresses deaths that fall under the medical examiner's jurisdiction. The hundreds of COVID-19 deaths reported in 2020 in the two counties aren't addressed in the overall death report. Abbey Harris with the Knox County Mayor's Office said COVID deaths aren't medical examiner cases. Credit: Regional Forensic Center Trends that stood out among the two counties, according to the Forensic Center: *Natural deaths rose 20 percent. There were 595 natural deaths in Knox County last year and 88 natural deaths in Anderson County, the report shows. *Gun deaths increased 62 percent. *Accidental deaths were up 20 percent. *Suicides rose 14 percent. WBIR this month also has highlighted a sharp recent increase in gun violence and a persistent high rate of homicides in Knox County.