Official: New virus case in county a ‘red flag’
Fourth person diagnosed not connected to others
The fourth case of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, found in Shelby County isn’t connected to the other three, Alisa Haushalter, director of the county’s health department, told officials at a meeting of the county commission Wednesday.
Because of that, it’s a “red flag” and a possible predictor of community spread — although not a clear indicator that community transmission is already happening in the county, she said.
“It means pay closer attention, and if we have any others that are not related to these, then (we start) a more aggressive approach to being able to prevent spread,” she said.
Shelby County’s first two cases were related to each other, two individuals who traveled to Mardi Gras together. The third patient was also someone who had traveled out of state. The fourth patient had
not traveled but had recently welcomed out-of-state visitors who had mild respiratory symptoms while visiting. The patient is currently receiving treatment in a hospital, Haushalter said.
“Based on the data thus far we do not see evidence of broad community-wide transmission, but once we begin to see cases that are unrelated we have to recognize the risk of community transmission is higher and we have to sort of shift our thinking of how we contain the illness,” Haushalter said.
According to the CDC, “Ongoing community transmission means that people have been infected with the virus, but how or where they became infected is not known.”
Once community spread begins in an area, it becomes more difficult to track contacts of someone who is infected. Then, the health department has to shift from trying to contain the disease to trying to mitigate its impact, Haushalter said.
When that occurs, officials may take more severe measures to ensure that people are following social distancing guidelines.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland has issued a declaration of emergency and asked people to heed CDC and White House advice about not congregating in groups of 10 or more. However, it was not a declaration of a civil emergency, which would give Strickland the ability to close businesses at will and impose a curfew.
In a Monday interview, Strickland said he was listening to the Shelby County Health Department and a local infectious disease expert and the city would do “whatever the science dictates,” in regard to closures and bans. Multiple governors in states harder hit have ordered bars, restaurants and gyms closed amid the outbreak.
Depending on the number of cases, community transmission could cause a strain on the healthcare industry, experts have warned.
It could also lead to an interruption of essential services “unless tested business continuity plans are in place,” according to the World Health Organization.
City, county, local nonprofits launch COVID-19 response fund
The Community Foundation of Greater Memphis, the city of Memphis, Shelby County, United Way of the Midsouth, and Momentum Nonprofit Partners/mid-south Philanthropy Network have joined together to launch the Midsouth COVID-19 Regional Response Fund.
Robert Fockler, president of the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis, said the response fund — which is receiving $250,000 in seed money from the Nike Foundation — would provide a flexible funding source for Mid-south nonprofits as they navigate unprecedented circumstances for weeks and months to come.
“This fund allows people and institutions to support a safety net for vulnerable populations and those most affected by the threat to their health, well-being, and economic sustainability,” he said.
The first round of grants from the rapid response fund are expected to be sent out in the coming weeks.
Wolfchase Galleria to temporarily close
Simon Property Group, the largest owner of shopping malls in the U.S., announced Wednesday that all malls will be temporarily closed in an effort to slow transmission of the coronavirus.
Simon owns and operates the Wolfchase Galleria in Cordova. Simon malls will stay closed until March 29.
Memphis City Council members warned about possible exposure
Members of the Memphis City Council were warned of possible exposure to the coronavirus by the National League of Cities during a trip to Washington, D.C., last week, council member Martavius Jones confirmed late Tuesday.
Jones said he received a letter from the League of Cities about possible exposure. He said in a text message that due to the nature of his work and living alone, he self-quarantines by default. Other members of council who went on the trip did not return texts seeking comment.
Councilman Jeff Warren told The Commercial Appeal last week that he, Patrice Robinson, Cheyenne Johnson, Jones, JB Smiley, Jr., Michalyn Easterthomas and Rhonda Logan attended the conference.