In a pattern repeated over and over across the nation, Memphis and Shelby County’s official response to the initial wave of novel coronavirus appeared confused, even chaotic.There were critical shortages of tests. Far too few health investigators. Substantial delays in test results and daunting challenges getting the public to take social distancing seriously.
In the lull after the surge, expected to end about May 11 here, Shelby County leaders need a plan for how to attack the second wave. “We need a greatly expanded team for identifying cases and contact tracing,” said Dr. Jon McCullers, “that hopefully will allow us to navigate additional waves without shutting down the… Read More
In the lull after the surge, expected to end about May 11 here, Shelby County leaders need a plan for how to attack the second wave.“We need a greatly expanded team for identifying cases and contact tracing,” said Dr. Jon McCullers, “that hopefully will allow us to navigate additional waves without shutting down the economy.”
Dr. Jon McCullers of UTHSC answers questions about coronavirus.
As of Monday morning, more than 4,300 people had been tested for coronavirus in Shelby County. Only 379 of those tests came back positive for the virus. But a negative result doesn’t mean you don’t have Coronavirus.
Jon McCullers – the chair of Dept. of Pediatrics at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, pediatrician in chief at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital – says they are ramping up testing on Tiger Lane. In a tweet, McCullers said: “Great news…after a week ramping up, we are ready to offer testing to the public… Read More
10% of people tested so far in Shelby County have been positive for COVID-19. As of Friday morning, 2,218 people had been tested for COVID-19 in Shelby County, according to the health department. That puts the tests coming back positive at 10.05%, with 223 people testing positive in Shelby County.
With cases ratcheting up 20 and 30 people a day in Shelby County, the rate of transmission is still thought to be a month or two from plateauing, which means health experts are pounding home social-distancing warnings.
