The news seems consistently negative – more cases of COVID-19 in our community, more COVID-19-related hospital admissions, and overwhelming anxiety that our hospitals may not be able to accommodate the rapid influx of COVID-19 patients. These biologic concerns are amplified by the politicization of COVID-19, leading people to wonder what is fact and what is… Read More
More Mid-Southerners are getting critically sick from COVID-19 and need to be hospitalized because of the disease. The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations is what health officials are watching right now, said the Executive Dean of the College of Medicine at UT Health Science Center.
“The hospital system is stretched, no question about it,” Dr. Scott Strome with UT Health Science Center said. Shelby County health experts sounded the alarm Wednesday as area hospitals take in a growing number of COVID-19 patients, including those in the ICU and needing ventilators. “We are approaching a number where we are going to… Read More
Leader of UTHSC coronavirus response weighs in on Shelby County’s new restrictions as cases surge
The latest coronavirus numbers in Shelby County are from the last two days due to technical issues at a state level, but do indicate a rising positivity rate. Since the week following Mother’s Day, weekly positivity rates in Shelby County have doubled from 4.5% to 10.3%. Dr. Scott Strome, the executive dean of the College… Read More
The violent death of George Floyd has forced the country to confront systemic racism, from courtrooms to boardrooms. On Wednesday, the conversation shifted to racial inequality in the healthcare system. The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Medicine hosted a virtual roundtable on structural racism in health care. Also mentioned on: June… Read More
Physicians warned people in Shelby County about the increasing number of COVID-19 cases Monday. “Whenever you see an increase in numbers like this, it’s worrisome,” the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Dr. Scott Strome said. “There’s no question if this doubles in the next month, everyone will be stressed,” Baptist Hospital infectious disease specialist Dr. Steve… Read More
This week, the number of people in the city’s hospitals hit 71% of its COVID-surge capacity, a daunting high-water mark for a disease that spreads exponentially. At the current level of people moving about, doctors say the cases could jump from 500 to 1,000, overnight.
