MEMPHIS, Tennessee —
Seniors 65 and older have been especially hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
You may have a loved one in any of the 22 long-term senior care facilities across Tennessee, and no doubt you're concerned with the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths there. But, if you've followed those numbers you might be confused by numbers reported not adding up between County and State health officials.
Since the onset of this COVID-19 crisis, county and state officials have reported the number of cases of infection and deaths in senior facilities because that population is most vulnerable. If those numbers seem to be out of sync health officials admit that they are.
Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) officials reported 82 positive cases in the 7 Shelby County long-term care facilities with only 9 deaths.
At the same time Shelby County Health officials were reporting higher numbers with 96 positive cases among residents and staff and 10 deaths.
Tennessee's Health Commissioner, Lisa Piercey, addressed the discrepancy during Wednesday's state COVID-19 update. She said while County Health Departments and families report deaths of loved ones, the state will not publish the death until a death certificate verifies passing.
"It's not only unsurprising, but it's expected that our numbers will be behind what you may see reported publicly, and that's important because we're sort of the last source of truth and that is the documentation of those deaths and we want to be absolutely certain that we're reporting it accurately, so we do take a little bit more time to do that," said Piercey.
TDH said they are requiring all residents of long-term care facilities to be monitored each day for symptoms of COVID-19. If even one case is found, it's to be reported to local health officials. One or two suspected cases are to be immediately reported to TDH for further steps.