Nashville, Memphis Report Tennessee’s Second, Third Cases of Coronavirus

Jason M. Reynolds

 

Nashville Mayor John Cooper confirmed a case of coronavirus on Sunday, making it the third in Tennessee, coming the same day Shelby County announced a case.

He said, “We have our first case of COVID-19 in Davidson County. Metro Health Department has prepared and is working closely Tennessee Dept of Health and the CDC. Remember to wash your hands and stay home when sick.”

Also on Sunday, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said, “Today, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Shelby County. We’re monitoring the situation, and first responders stand ready to help as needed,” and provided a link to the CDC for more information on preparing for the virus.

The Shelby County patient is in good condition and under treatment in isolation at Baptist Memorial Hospital, the Shelby County Health Department said. The person who tested positive had recently traveled out of state, but not out of the country. No further details about this case will be shared to protect patient privacy, the department said.

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Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter said, “The Shelby County Health Department has been planning and preparing for the possibility of a case of COVID-19 since community spread of the virus was first reported in the United States. The Health Department’s efforts are now focused on tracing contacts of this case and limiting the spread of the virus in Shelby County.”

The Tennessee Department of Health is trying to identify anyone who has made contact with the Nashville-Davidson County female patient, Fox 17 said. Although she does not have children attending Metro Nashville Public Schools, the district disinfected schools and plans to open today.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday announced the first case in the state, a 44-year-old man in Williamson County, The Tennessee Star reported.

Cooper’s office said the Nashville-Davidson County patient has a mild illness and is isolated at home. The source of her exposure is unknown at this time and is being investigated.

“A community response requires us all to listen to our healthcare experts and take commonsense precautions to protect each other to prevent the further spread of this disease,” Cooper said. “I want to assure all Nashvillians that Metro has prepared for a COVID-19 confirmation in Davidson County, and a comprehensive monitoring and response plan is under way.”

The Tennessee Department of Health offers a Tennessee Coronavirus Public Information Line at 877-857-2945. The information line is available daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Central Time.

For more information about COVID-19, visit the Metro Public Health Department’s website and the Tennessee Department of Health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated information and guidance available here.

The Shelby County Health Department has more information here.

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Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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One Thought to “Nashville, Memphis Report Tennessee’s Second, Third Cases of Coronavirus”

  1. Kevin
    March 9, 2020 at 7:57 am

    I’m looking forward to all of the typical Nashvillian “investigative journalist’s” spin on this one.

    Maybe it will start with a particular left-leaning way of “connecting the dots” and they’ll make a ridiculous generalization like, “see, both Cooper and Strickland haven’t done anything to prevent the spread of Covid 19…”

    Or how about this one, “see, all these pandemic outbreaks occur in big cities, we need to ban big cities immediately!” Sound a bit like the rhetoric we hear coming from them about “global warming”, I mean, “climate change”?

    Oh, no, can’t do that, everything is turned into a political weapon, so let’s blame the leaders farther upstream, Lee and Trump!

    Reply

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