The Metro Nashville Public Health Department recently announced that multiple batches of mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus have been collected across Davidson County.
The widespread virus was detected through the Public Health Department’s Pest Management Division. The division routinely traps mosquitoes at 40 surveillance sites across Nashville and sends them for testing at the Tennessee Department of Health’s lab.
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Members of the Metro Nashville Public Health Department’s (MPHD’s) Human Resources (HR) Office are fighting back against scathing criticism from their Racial and Health Equity Director Stephanie Kang. Kang last month distributed a memo to MPHD board members to complain about the department’s alleged instances of bullying, sexism, racism, and homophobia.
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Officials in multiple jurisdictions throughout Tennessee have detected cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Shelby County reported the first case of the new variant. New cases were discovered on Thursday by both the Metro Nashville Public Health Department and the Hamilton County Health Department.
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced the launch of another campaign offering freebies in exchange for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The “Shots on Goal” campaign launched Thursday. If individuals get their vaccination from any of the five pop-up clinics listed, they will receive a coupon booklet with 11 different incentives valued at over $100 from 20 different businesses.
Metro government will provide a partial reimbursement to the businesses involved. If a vaccinated individual takes advantage of every coupon in their booklet, the total cost to Metro would be $36. The mayor’s office clarified that these funds would come from their CARES Act reserves. The campaign didn’t mention a limit on the number of coupon booklets handed out.
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According to the Metro Public Health Department (MPHD), Nashville’s mask mandate was supposed to continue despite the latest CDC recommendation. However, health officials quickly reversed their decision within hours, and without offering a detailed explanation. As The Tennessee Star reported Friday, the mask mandate ended on Friday morning at 5 a.m. CST. The Metro Public Health Department (MPHD) shared that the decision was made by certain Metro health officials, who convened after Thursday’s board of health meeting.
MPHD said in a press release that certain Metro health officials met after the Metro Board of Health meeting Thursday to further review the CDC recommendations. It is unclear what further information caused them to change their minds. In response to inquiries from The Star, the MPHD spokesperson shared the same MPHD press release. He said that there weren’t any other reasons for the reversal beyond what’s been shared publicly.
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Officials with the Metro Nashville/Davidson County Public Health Department released an updated list of identified COVID-19 clusters Friday, with a grand total of 160 clusters.
This, according to a press release that Metro Public Health Department officials emailed Friday.
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Mayor John Cooper extended Davidson County’s safer at home order until at least May 8.
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Leslie Waller, an epidemiologist with the Nashville Metro Public Health Department, discussed the use of “contact tracing” in helping contain the coronavirus during the Mayor John Cooper’s press conference.
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