With concerns about the coronavirus punctuating conversations and prompting questions, Shelby County Health Department officials met Wednesday with the Shelby County Board of Commissioners Hospitals and Health committee as the awareness-preparation effort moves forward.
“We are very concerned about the coronavirus, and we will do everything possible to get Shelby County prepared,” said Shelby County Com-missioner Van D. Turner Jr., the committee chairman.
Before the meeting, Turner had emphasized the need to understand what Health Department Director Dr. Alisa Haushalter has planned for ad- dressing the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Health Department has compiled informational resources on a COVID-19 page on its website www.shelbytnhealth.com. The webpage features specific information and recommendations for health care providers, individuals and families, organizers of community events, business leaders, and schools.
The first confirmed case of the new coronavirus in Tennessee was announced Thursday morning by state Department of Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey. The patient is an adult male living in Williamson County who recently traveled out of the state. The patient is isolated at home with mild symptoms and his household contacts are being evaluated, Piercy said.
There were no confirmed or suspect cases in Shelby County, Arkansas or Mississippi at TSD’s press deadline.
Soon after the Hospitals and Health committee session, Haushalter shared some additional steps being taken to share information associated with the community health issue.
“Every Wednesday from 2:30-3 p.m., we will have a press conference here at the health department,” she said. “In addition to the website, we want to be available for updates and to address any concerns which have been expressed.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported suspected person-to-person spread of the virus in certain U.S. communities among persons who have not recently traveled out of the country. And this week, California confirmed its first death from the virus while Washington D.C. recorded its tenth death among those who have been diagnosed with the disease.
The virus was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, Chi- na, with the first infections linked to a live animal market. Accord- ing to the CDC, “someone who is actively sick with COVID-19 can spread the illness to others. That is why CDC recommends that these patients be isolated either in the hospital or at home (depending on how sick they are) until they are better and no longer pose a risk of infecting others.”
Turner noted on Wednesday that commissioners had met recently with U.S. Sen. Lamar Al- exander (R-Tenn.), who chairs the U.S. Senate’s Health Committee, during the annual “Day On The Hill” event in Washington, D.C. Alexander, he said, stressed the importance of the basics: “Listen to the professionals, don’t panic and wash your hands.”
It’s important to be diligent about that prevention path, said Turner, adding, “We want to do everything in our power to prevent an outbreak here.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a roughly $8 billion emergency funding bill to fight the coronavirus. In addition to $7.8 billion to combat the coronavirus, the measure includes a mandatory funding authorization for $500 million over 10 years. That would go toward a remote health care program.
“As Chairman of the Senate health committee, I will continue to work to make sure that the Administration is implementing the preparedness and response framework for emerging public health threats that Congress has already provided and continue supporting state and local public health departments,” Alexander said in a media statement.
NOTE: The Shelby County Health Department has also launched a hotline number: 901- 692-7523, for specific questions, requests for technical assistance and requests for speakers at community meetings and events. The number is staffed during regular business hours, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. After-hours calls will be returned on the next business day.
