SCHD COVID-19 Daily Update: March 22, 2020 – 58 cases in Shelby

Shelby County currently has 58 confirmed COVID-19 cases. The increase in case numbers is not unexpected because testing has increased, especially by commercial laboratories.  This information is from Joan Carr, public information officer for the Shelby County Health Department (SCHD).

Please note: Laboratory reports of positive cases are reported to local health departments as soon as results are available. State numbers are updated at 2 p.m. CDT daily; but there is a lag in reporting of cumulative numbers at the state level, and that accounts for any discrepancy.

There are now indications that person-to-person spread in the community may be taking place.

The Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage link: shelbytnhealth.com/coronavirus.  The page includes useful information about the virus and links to resources for individuals, families, businesses and faith communities.

Link to the state website: https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov.html

The Health Department recommends strict adherence to social-distancing recommendations:

Messages for Individuals:

• Avoid handshakes and close contact with others whenever possible.
• Cancel or postpone gatherings of 10 or more people. Instead of visiting friends or relatives, call or video chat.
• Stay at home whenever possible. While Shelby County School students and many others are out of school, keep children home and plan home-based activities.
• Children and adults may exercise outdoors, while maintaining at least six feet of distance from others.
• Do not go to work or go out in public if you are sick, especially with fever, cough or other respiratory symptoms.
• Re-evaluate travel plans. It is strongly recommended to avoid any unnecessary travel.  If traveling overseas, check the CDC’s travel advisory website, which is updated daily: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel.  If traveling within the U.S., avoid destinations where COVID-19 has been reported.
• Avoid non-essential flights. Traveling by private vehicle limits exposure to other people.
• Wash your hands thoroughly and often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Scrub dirt under fingernails with a brush and soap.
• Practice respiratory etiquette by using a tissue if coughing or sneezing, then throwing the tissue away and washing your hands.
• Sanitize surfaces that are frequently touched by many people with anti-bacterial wipes or diluted bleach solution.

Messages for Community/Business Leaders:

• Cancel or postpone meetings and conferences of 10 or more people.
• Consider conducting all conferences or meetings by phone or video chat rather than face-to-face.
• Adhere to CDC travel guidelines by reviewing the CDC’s travel website (https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel) and avoiding destinations with travel health notices.
• Discourage workers from using other workers’ phones, desks, offices, or other work tools and equipment, whenever possible.
• Encourage and enable employee telecommuting to limit person-to-person interactions as much as possible.
• Businesses that serve the public, including retail and grocery stores should encourage social distancing by spacing out customer service and check-out lines as much as possible.
• Consider providing delivery or curbside pick-up options to limit interactions in stores.

The Health Department is committed to providing as much information as possible to the public as the COVID-19 situation continues to develop. The Health Department’s hotline number (833-943-1658), was activated March 12, 2020. Since that date, it has fielded hundreds of calls from the general public about COVID-19. Below are statistics about calls into the hotline since March 12, 2020, and a daily number of hotline calls fielded yesterday.

The COVID-19 hotline is answered each day, including Saturday and Sunday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

After-hours calls are returned as soon as possible on the next business day.

Keeping Shelby County residents, elected officials, and faith and community leaders informed is an important part of our strategy to control the spread of COVID-19 in our community.