MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Wednesday in Shelby County, for the first time, the COVID-19 Joint Task Force acknowledged the alternative field hospital at the former Commercial Appeal Building in downtown Memphis will likely be used when it’s available next week.
Before, the message had been it would only be used if absolutely necessary, but with more hospital beds being used since elective surgeries are back on, that’s changed.
This week, final furnishings went in at the 400-bed alternative care facility in the 400 block of Union Avenue. Next week, it could take in its first, lower risk COVID-19 patients.
“The alternative care facility that is scheduled to open very soon will provide tremendous relief to the hospitals,” Shelby County Health Officer Dr. Bruce Randolph said.
Wednesday, health experts said there’s an uptick of hospital beds in use after elective surgeries returned last Monday.
The field hospital is intended to relieve pressure and demand at local hospitals ahead of the projected COVID-19 peak in June or July.
“We are certainly watchful in monitoring, but we feel that we still have the capacity to adequately respond to any surge that occurs,” Dr. Randolph said.
Dr. Randolph said the work continues to ramp up community testing in the three ZIP codes - 38134, 38114, and 38017 - with the lowest amount of those tested per CAPITA.
“Make sure two things: that one, we have the adequate testing sites in those ZIP codes, and that people are aware that testing is available,” Dr. Randolph said.
Now that Memphis and Shelby County are in phase one of the gradual reopening, health experts will spend the coming days crunching various data to determine if the area can move to phase two next week.
