Tag: Shelby County

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COVID-19 Cases Rise by 140

New virus case numbers rose by 140 over the last 24 hours. The new cases put the total of all positive cases in Shelby County since March 2020 at 88,908.

Total current active cases of the virus — the number of people known to have COVID-19 in the county — is 1,354. The number reached a record high of more than 8,000 in late December and only rose above 2,000 in October. The new active case count represents 1.5 percent of all cases of the virus reported here since March 2020.

As of Monday, March 8th, in Shelby County, 179,867 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been given. As of Monday, 57,751 people had been given two doses for full vaccination, and 122,116 had been given a single dose.

The Shelby County Health Department reported that 2,479 tests have been given in the last 24 hours. So far, 1,041,088 tests have been given here since March 2020. This figure includes multiple tests given to some people.

The latest reported weekly positivity rate declined. (Weekly positivity rate for the week of February 28th has not yet been released.) The average number of positive cases for the week of February 21st was 4.9 percent. That’s down from the 7 percent of average cases recorded the week before. A record-high of 17.8 percent was reported in late December.

No new deaths were reported over the last 24 hours. The total death toll now stands at 1,527.

The average age of those who have died in Shelby County is 73, according to the health department. The age of the youngest COVID-19 death was 13. The oldest person to die from the virus was 103.

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New COVID-19 Virus Cases Up by 178

New virus case numbers rose by 178 over the last 24 hours. The new cases put the total of all positive cases in Shelby County since March 2020 at 88,521.

Total current active cases of the virus — the number of people known to have COVID-19 in the county — are 1,302. The number reached a record high of more than 8,000 in late December and only rose above 2,000 in October. The new active case count represents 1.5 percent of all cases of the virus reported here since March 2020.

As of Friday, March 5th, in Shelby County, 164,472 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been given. As of Friday, 50,679 people had been given two doses for full vaccination, and 113,793 had been given a single dose.

The Shelby County Health Department reported that 3,410 tests have been given in the last 24 hours. So far, 1,032,550 tests have been given here since March 2020. This figure includes multiple tests given to some people.

The latest weekly positivity rate declined. The average number of positive cases for the week of February 21st was 4.9 percent. That’s down from the 7 percent of average cases recorded the week before. It’s all down from the record-high 17.5 percent in late December.

Six new deaths were reported over the last 24 hours. The total death toll now stands at 1,517.



The average age of those who have died in Shelby County is 73, according to the health department. The age of the youngest COVID-19 death was 13. The oldest person to die from the virus was 103.

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Shelby County Set to Get 8,900 Weekly Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine

CREDIT: Shelby County Health Department/Facebook

Shelby County Health Department/Facebook

Shelby County Health Department nurse Janice Stahl, RN, was first in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Nurse Stahl provides COVID-19 testing at the Collierville clinic and Shelby Farms clinic.

Shelby County is now set to receive a weekly allotment of 8,900 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) announced the shipments Friday, January 8th, after confirming the information with the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH). The commitment will bring 8,900 doses here each week though the end of January.

The health department expects the doses to be divided between the department and the area hospital systems. In the first week, the SCHD is expected to administer up to 4,000 doses, and the rest will be given by hospitals. The weekly ratio may change.

With its weekly allotment, the SCHD will begin offering vaccinations on an appointment-only basis. These will be given at the Pipkin Building at the MidSouth Fairgrounds every Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Appointments can be made online here. Those without internet access can call (901) 222-SHOT(7468) for assistance in scheduling an appointment beginning 8 a.m., Monday, January 11, 2021.

The Health Department will add other vaccination sites throughout the county as the vaccine campaign moves forward.

During January, the vaccine won’t be available to the general public. They will only be given to those in the first (1a1) priority group.

Those include:

· First responders with direct public exposure including EMS, law enforcement, and fire fighters

· Staff working at COVID-19 mass testing sites

· Staff and residents of long-term care facilities, residential homes for the aged, and staff and residents of assisted living centers who have direct contact with residents or contact with potentially infectious materials

· Staff of other congregate care facilities such as homes for the intellectually or developmentally disabled, detention centers, Staff of Department of Children’s Services residential facilities, rehabilitation hospitals and psychiatric hospitals who have direct patient contact or contact with potentially infectious materials

· Home healthcare staff with direct patient contact

· Staff and residents of long-term care facilities, residential homes for the aged, and staff and residents of assisted living centers who have direct contact with residents or contact with potentially infectious materials

· Individuals 18 years or older who cannot live independently due to serious chronic medical condition or intellectual or developmental disability

· Providers of K-12 or university student health services who have direct patient contact or contact with potentially infectious materials

· Funeral/mortuary service providers

· Health care workers, including:

· Primary care providers and staff

· Outpatient specialty providers and staff working with acute patients

· Pharmacists and staff

· Patient transport

· Outpatient therapists

· Urgent visit center providers and staff

· Environmental services

· Oral health providers

· Behavioral health providers

· Outpatient laboratory staff working with COVID-19 specimens

· Individuals age 75 and over

All those presenting for vaccination should be prepared to bring identification and proof of eligibility, including proof of age, a professional license, or a letter from an employer.

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New Stay-At-Home Order Lasts a Month After Christmas, Restricts Retail, Restaurants, Gyms

CREDIT: City of Memphis/Facebook

City of Memphis/Facebook

Shelby County Health Department director Dr. Alisa Haushalter at COVID-19 Task Force briefing.

Shelby Countians are asked to stay at home for four weeks after Christmas and businesses will be restricted in a new lockdown order issued Monday afternoon from the Shelby County Health Department.

The new order, Health Directive 16, is a Safer At Home order to be in place between Saturday, December 26th, and Friday, January 22nd. In it, all ”social activities related to entertainment and recreation should be curtailed.” These include “indoor receptions, parties, or events that are not related to places of worship, weddings, and funerals.”

Also, the new directive limits retail capacity to 50 percent. Indoor dining capacity is decreased to 25 percent. Capacity at gyms and fitness facilities are decreased to 50 percent, including staff.

The health department also issued a new face mask directive that clarifies that masks must be worn in gyms unless a customer has a medical condition. It also clarifies that masks must be worn in restaurants unless a customer is seated and “dining (eating/drinking).”

Here are comments from local leaders on why the new directive was set in place:

Alisa Haushalter
Director, Shelby County Health Department

“Health Directive No. 16 is necessary because in recent weeks, transmission of the virus has accelerated at an alarming pace. Over the past seven days, Shelby County has averaged more than 670 new cases per day and more than six deaths per day.

“Hospital ICU utilization in our region has exceeded 90 percent every day since December 7th. The influx of COVID-positive patients increasingly strains our healthcare systems. The Tennessee Department of Health reports that COVID-19 patients account for an average of 25 percent of all inpatient hospital beds and an average of 40 percent of all intensive care unit beds statewide.

“The influx of COVID-19 patients is putting a severe strain on our region’s healthcare systems. Continued spread of the virus threatens to overwhelm the healthcare providers we all depend on to provide needed care.

“The virus has the potential to spread exponentially across our state. Without the necessary statewide interventions, we have to turn to the tools we have at the local level. Unless we take reasonable action to reduce social gathering, we expect that January could have the highest numbers since the beginning of the pandemic.”

Lee Harris
Shelby County Mayor

”Although Shelby County has been one of the best at responding to COVID-19 in our state, Tennessee is on fire. If the state does not act with an effort to combat the current surge, we will have to do something at the local level. If we do not, the numbers we have seen recently foreshadow a very difficult January. The numbers we have seen recently mean lives could be at stake. We can summon the capacity to dig a little deeper and continue the course.”

Dr. Manoj Jain
infectious disease advisor to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland

“This virus is spreading at an exponential rate, and many of the infected patients that contract COVID-19 are requiring admission to our hospitals. Our systems are already under tremendous strain. We do not want to get to a point where we have no hospital beds available. Such a situation would affect all of us because anyone of us can have an emergency which may requires hospital care. Furthermore, our analysis shows that if no action is taken, then the number of daily deaths over the next several months will increase significantly.”

Dr. Jeff Warren
Memphis City Council member

“Our hospital capacity is under severe strain. We should do everything we can right now. These are tough decisions. I get that. However, people could die. We will get through this, but we are asking everyone to please practice the social distancing, wear a mask, and try to avoid social gathering for the next four weeks.”

Dr. Jon McCullers
Senior Executive Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs, University of Tennessee Health Science Center

“Although no one wants additional restrictions, we believe that at this point we have to do everything we can to remind the public of the importance of reducing social gatherings. That is our tool for slowing the spread. These additional restrictions show to me a very concerted effort to understand what is happening in our community right now and, with the limited tools available, what we might do to bring down the transmission rate.”

Michael Ugwueke
President & Chief Executive Officer
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare

“Since the start of this pandemic, protecting the health and safety of our community has been our top priority. With the surge we have experienced over the past two weeks, I believe a return to Phase One is the best tool we have to protect the health and safety of those we serve. I support this as a necessary step based on COVID trends in our area. By working together and following proven infection prevention best practices, we can once again reduce the transmission of COVID-19 in our community, and hopefully we can spend time with our loved ones in the New Year.”

Sally Deitch
Chief Executive Officer
St. Francis Healthcare

“Though the COVID-19 pandemic continues to present unique challenges for everyone, it is important to us that you know we have the processes and protective supplies in place to provide care safely. The most effective safety measures we can take against COVID-19 continue to be wearing a mask, washing our hands, and maintaining social distance. These measures are important during the holidays as we continue to see a surge in COVID cases and hospitalizations. The Shelby County Health Department’s health directive will further encourage us all to do our part in reducing the spread of COVID-19 in our community.”

Dr. Reginald Coopwood
President and CEO
Regional One Health

“With coronavirus surging at a record pace in this community, Regional One Health joins with the other hospital systems who care for the individuals affected by this pervasive and ongoing pandemic. From our staff, nurses, and doctors, everyone is doing their part to continue to provide high quality care to our patients.

“High transmission of COVID-19 in the community has created the most challenging conditions we have seen since the beginning of the pandemic. As the Shelby County Health Department makes determinations to reduce the risks of COVID-19, our community must make a conscious and collective effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. I urge everyone to practice social distancing, wear your masks appropriately, and do not gather in crowds or with people outside your household. All must do their part to flatten the curve so that we can continue to provide the care our community needs.”

Here are some further details from the new health directive:

• Health Directive No. 16 strongly encourages employers to allow non-essential employees to work remotely (where feasible).

• All previously approved events that were to occur during the effective dates of this “Safer at Home” should reschedule their event or contact the Health Department to determine whether their event may still proceed.

• Businesses that provide goods or services exclusively through curbside service and pickup, drive-thru, shipment, delivery, or virtually may continue.

• Certain listed businesses, including some that provide services to customers on-site, may continue to operate (see number 9 beginning on page 4).

• Due to the risk of viral transmission, Health Directive No. 16 strongly discourages any on-site dining.

• All safety measures for individuals, services, and businesses that were in the previous Health Directive No. 15 will continue under the new Health Directive No. 16.

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“Pork Report” Judges Bluff City Law, Megasite, and More

CREDIT: Jake Giles Netter/NBC

Beacon Center

Corporate welfare, Bluff City Law, and lax government spending topped the Beacon Center’s 2020 Pork Report for Memphis and Shelby County this year.

The center is a non-partisan, free-market think tank in Nashville. Its new Pork Report marks the 15th year the agency has taken aim at wasteful government spending in Tennessee. This year, the report featured 12 examples of “pork” from this year and three of the group’s “favorite” examples of government waste from the last 15 years.

“Beacon has long fought corporate welfare, where governments lavish some big businesses with massive handouts that other small businesses aren’t fortunate enough to receive, all at the expense of taxpayers,” reads the report. “And we’ll continue that quest until the government stops picking winners and losers.”

FastTrack

AutoZone HQ in Memphis

The report reviewed the state’s FastTrack program. It’s similar to the Memphis and Shelby County Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) program as it also gives grants and tax breaks to companies to locate, expand, or stay in Tennessee.

The Beacon report said, “Tennessee taxpayers are asked to give up millions of dollars to private companies through the state’s main corporate welfare program: FastTrack.”

In the last year, the program has given $39.6 million to big companies like Pringles and Accenture. Last year, AutoZone got $2.3 million in a grant from the program for an expansion and new location project here worth $191.3 million and 130 new jobs.

”The overwhelming evidence shows that these types of programs make little difference in company relocation and expansion decisions,” reads the report. “Estimates indicate these handouts sway companies as little as 2 percent of the time. Do we really think when Pringles is investing over $200 million to expand its factory that giving it $400,000 is really necessary?”

Bluff City Law
Jake Giles Netter/NBC

Going straight — Caitlin McGee (left) and Jimmy Smits play father-daughter attorney duo at the Strait Law Firm.

Beacon said Shelby County taxpayers are still on the hook in 2020 for a courtroom drama that was canceled in 2019.  Beacon Center

EDGE delivered Bluff City Law $1.4 million in tax breaks back in August 2019. That was part of a larger incentive package worth $4.2 million.

After the show was canceled, Shelby County Assessor Melvin Burgess took aim at the incentive here, according to The Commercial Appeal.

“My team and I strongly believe that there is absolutely no public benefit that would justify Comcast and NBC receiving $1 million per year of taxpayers’ money that I can recognize,” Burgess said at the time. “Accordingly, I believe that Shelby County government should challenge the approval of the PILOT and the loss of tax revenue.”

They didn’t.

“Because of the incompetence of the Memphis EDGE board, Memphis taxpayers are left holding the bag while politicians try to explain away the bad decision and talk about all the ‘unseen benefits’ that the short-lived show created for the city,” Beacon said in the report. “Film incentives are always problematic and should be eliminated entirely.”

However, Charles Vance, director of marketing and communications for EDGE, said the future years of the PILOT ended when the show cancelled. The show did positive things for the city’s image and economy, he said.

“As the show was canceled, future years of the PILOT are now canceled, and Comcast will only see benefits from the first year,” Vance said in a statement. “That provision was always built into the PILOT agreement.

“The PILOT benefit started on December 31st, 2019 and expires December 31st, 2020. The show’s promotional value was significant. On top of the great [public relations] exposure for our city, the show created jobs, and spent more than $31 million here.”  

Shelby County hiring freeze

After a warning about the county’s dire financial situation by Mayor Lee Harris, the Shelby County Commissioner agreed to a freeze on hiring and promotions earlier this year. The freeze lasted about a month.

“This is the problem with government finances,” reads the report. “When times are tough, families have to dig deep and make tough decisions.  Beacon Center

“But for governments, tough times are merely an inconvenience. Governments at all levels are able to kick the can down the road (like the federal government) or ask struggling taxpayers to bail them out (like Nashville). Our leaders need to remember that they are charged to be stewards of taxpayer money, not treat it like monopoly money.”

For this, Beacon suggested that Shelby County government should cut unessential services and enact a spending cap tied to economic growth to curb excessive government growth.

Memphis Regional Megasite

TNECD

A view of the megasite looking north from I-40.

The Memphis Regional Megasite won a spot in Beacon’s top three worst “porks” of the last 15 years.

No company is showing interest in the 4,100-acre piece of land east of Memphis that Beacon calls “the field of empty promises.” This is after more than a decade and $200 million in state investment.

”Yet, after numerous major companies have begged off, all they can do now is watch the grass grow,” reads the report. “It’s high time to flush this boondoggle down the drain once and for all.”

See the full report here:

[pdf-1]

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Drug Overdose Reversal Kits Offered at Saturday Event

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Justin Fox Burks

County health agents will give away free drug overdose reversal kits this weekend in an event hoped to stem the rising tide of drug deaths in Shelby County.

Shelby County Health Department data shows overdose deaths have more than doubled since 2017. That year, 165 died of drug overdoses. In 2019, the figure was 343. So far this year, 369 deaths have been related to drug overdoses. 


On Saturday, December 5th, the county’s Street Team for Overdose Prevention (STOP) will provide free overdose reversal kits (including naloxone, a medication that blocks opioids), treatment resources, and information about accessing needle exchange programs.

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at How Park, next to the Lester Community Center at 317 Tillman. The event will feature music and free food.

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U.S. Atty. Dunavant Announces $2 Million to Combat Violent Crime

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant has announced that more than $2 million in Department of Justice grants are headed to the Western District of Tennessee to help prevent violent crime. The grants come from a $458 million support pledge from Attorney General William Barr to help in supporting local, state, and tribal law in enforcement efforts to combat violent crime.

“One of the fundamental missions of government is to protect its citizens and safeguard the rule of law,” said Barr. “The Department of Justice will continue to meet  this critical responsibility by doing everything within its power to help our state, local and tribal  law enforcement and criminal justice partners fight crime and deliver justice on behalf of all  Americans.”

The funding is a part of the Trump Administration’s commitment to combat violent crime and improve public safety nationwide. Upon taking office, the President elevated community safety to the top of his domestic agenda. Recent data from the FBI and the Bureau of Justice statistics for 2019 show a drop in crime and serious victimization for the third year in a row.

To date, funding from the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) has gone to Operation Relentless Pursuit, Project Guardian, and Operation LeGend.

“We are thankful to Attorney General Barr for providing these additional OJP grant resources to combat violent gun crime in Memphis, and we will continue to coordinate with our state and local law enforcement partners to use these  resources to effectively target the real crime drivers in Memphis and Shelby County: gangs, guns, and drugs.”

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Public Safety Institute Finds Rise in Gun Crime and Need for More Support in Shelby County Mental Health Court

Earlier in the week, the University of Memphis Public Safety Institute (PSI) released information regarding increases in reported gun crimes and their evaluation of the Shelby County Mental Health Court (MHC).

Based on data released from the Memphis Police Department (MPD) and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), the number of reported gun crimes have increased in Memphis, specifically between the months of April and June.

In their findings, the MPD reported that during the first quarter of the year, January to March, reported violent incidents involving guns were down slightly compared to the first quarter of 2019. Despite this, reported violent incidents involving guns were up 11.2 percent for the first half of the year, January to June. During this period, almost 64 percent of all reported violent crime incidents involved guns.

Though the TBI uses different metrics to identify reported incidents involving guns — what could be considered as one incident by the MPD can be considered multiple incidents under TBI definition — their figures showed a similar increase during the April to June period. The TBI reported that by the end of the first half of the year reported offenses involving guns had increased by almost 23 percent.

The PSI partnered with the Shelby County Mental Health Court to evaluate the effectiveness of the court in preventing rearrests and reincarcerations, ensuring that lengths of incarceration were similar to those not accepted for participation in the MHC, and if time in the MHC affected lengths of hospitalizations.

Between 2016 and 2019, 247 individuals were referred to the MHC a total of 368 times, with 170 (61 percent) being invited to participate, and 156 accepted. The average risk assessment score — the “score” which determines whether someone is considered too dangerous to release — for those invited to participate in the court was high.

The MHC employs a mental health treatment plan that is designed to help those accepted into the court received reduced or dismissed sentences. Despite only 48 (30.8 percent) of the 156 graduating from the MHC’s treatment program, when surveyed the MHC staff and presiding judge, indicated that they had positive feelings about the MHC teamwork-oriented approach.

The PSI’s full report and findings can be found here.

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Health Official: “The Fall Wave of COVID-19 Is Here”

CREDIT: City of Memphis/Facebook

City of Memphis/Facebook

SCHD deputy director David Sweat during Tuesday’s COVID-19 briefing.

The surge of COVID-19 cases reported around the state and the country has arrived in Shelby County, according to an official with the Shelby County Health Department (SCHD).

David Sweat, SCHD deputy director, said, “the fall wave of COVID-19 is here,” on Tuesday during a regular briefing of the Memphis and Shelby County COVID-19 Task Force.

For proof, Sweat pointed to the 347 new cases of the virus reported here since Monday morning. The number of new daily cases has not been that high in many weeks.

In the past, such high numbers have been blamed on delayed reporting or backlogs of tests at laboratories. But not this time, Sweat said. About 94 percent of the new virus cases reported Tuesday morning were from tests given between October 7th and October 10th.

The surge of new cases has pushed the reproduction rate of the virus here back above 1, meaning the virus is growing in Shelby County. It’s growing all over the county, Sweat said, but now it is most active in its northeast quadrant — Bartlett, Lakeland, Arlington, and some outlying areas around Millington.

“All of these data points that we’re pointing out tells us that the COVID-19 disease is still very much a present danger to people of Shelby County and the virus can be found in virtually all parts of Shelby County,” Sweat said. “An increase in cases should remind everyone and challenge us all to adhere to all of guidelines issued throughout the pandemic.”

However, Sweat said the health department was not set to immediately increase restrictions but would, instead, watch “as the data unfolds before us” before making such a decision.

The latest modeling puts a hospital surge at the end of February, Sweat said.

“We’re in this together,” Sweat said. “As we’ve said, the future number of cases is not a fated thing. We’re not destined to have certain number of cases. It’s our choice.”

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Shelby County Bars Eligible for $10,000 ‘Share the Tab’ Grants

Justin Fox Burks

Cady Smith with a blazing cocktail

Limited service restaurants (or bars) impacted by COVID-19 shutdowns can now access $450,000 in grant funding from the Shelby County government’s Share the Tab program.

The program was announced Tuesday, September 22nd, and is supported by federal CARES Act funding. County officials said the $10,000 grants are available for rent/mortgage, payroll, sanitization, expenses related to switching to a full-service restaurant, and more.

“Limited service restaurants, or bars, as they are most commonly referred, have taken a profound and significant hit to their businesses,” said Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris. “These businesses are often locally owned. They employ thousands of workers in our community. They give back to our community in countless ways. This new program is about trying to help these businesses get on the path to recovery. Although we continue to fight COVID, we also have to move towards a safe economic recovery.”

Nearly 45 limited service restaurants were required to close their doors at the beginning of the summer and, for the most part, remain closed. Shelby County Health Department officials announced Tuesday that — thanks to steady virus data here — bars, wine bars, pubs, taprooms, and more could open Wednesday.

“The Share the Tab fund supports the restaurant and hospitality industry in a tangible way,” said Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner. “We know that social distancing requirements make it difficult for social clubs and bars to operate as they did before. I hope that every qualifying business applies for the funds.”