MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Wednesday, the number of positive Coronavirus cases in Tennessee grew to nine and in Shelby County - where one person tested positive this past weekend - new actions are being taken to keep people and offices safe.
To date, the Shelby County Health Director said around 80 people total were either quarantined or self-monitored as a precaution for the Coronavirus.
However, Dr. Alisa Hauhalter said Wednesday afternoon in her view, it’s premature to close local schools or cancel large attended events, as ordered in other states in the last 24 hours.
"At the current time, there is no need to cancel classroom settings,” Dr. Haushalter said.
Dr. Haushalter said life should go on in Shelby County as normal, despite new Coronavirus cases announced Wednesday both nationwide and statewide.
"Right now, if we have events this weekend, we really don't have community transmission, so there’s not a need to cancel,” Dr. Haushalter said.
Still, those with Shelby County are bulking up their preparations should things worsen, and more positive Coronavirus cases emerge locally.
County department directors have contingency plans in place if there are large sick call outs, and Dr. Haushalter said other private companies should also be prepared for the worst.
"Everything from cleaning to sick leave policies to ensuring that staff have the resources they need if they stay home,” Dr. Haushalter said.
Dr. Haushalter also defended Shelby County not saying if the one infected patient - announced Sunday - is a man or a woman, how old that person is, or where that person recently traveled.
"At the current time, we know one person traveled to one place and we don’t know of any other cases necessarily associated with that particular community, so there's not a need to release that,” Dr. Haushalter said.
Dr. Stephen Threlkeld said that patient is in good spirits and doing fairly well. Staff at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis treat that patient are fully covered in protective gear.
“Once you have a case in the community like we do now, we've ramped up and heightened further, it may not be necessary the things we are doing. But we try to err on the side of caution,” Dr. Threlkeld said.
The infectious disease expert said with 200 available Coronavirus tests on hand at the state lab, the state and Shelby County should be OK if there’s a spike in new cases.
“The system is now ramping up. We now have two large corporations that have a test that are available, that are not the state tests. So I think there will not end up being a shortage of tests,” Dr. Threlkeld said.
Those with the Shelby County Health Department reminded the public the greatest defense against the Coronavirus is constant hand washing, avoiding the touching of your face, and reconsidering any travel to areas with a high volume of positive cases.
A Treadwell Elementary and Middle School teacher recently quarantined was also cleared by the Shelby County Health Department to return to work and will do so after SCS’ spring break.
Coronavirus in Context:
The symptoms of coronavirus are similar to the flu or a bad cold. Symptoms include a fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Most healthy people will have mild symptoms. A study of more than 72,000 patients by the Centers for Disease Control in China showed 80-percent of the cases there were mild.
But infections can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death, according to the World Health Organization. Older people with underlying health conditions are most at risk.
The CDC believes symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after being exposed.
Lower your risk
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- If you are 60 or over and have an underlying health condition such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or respiratory illnesses like asthma or COPD, the World Health Organization advises you to try to avoid crowds or places where you might interact with people who are sick.