‘Things have changed substantially’
Officials plead for public to get vaccine as cases surge again
The delta variant of COVID-19 is driving up new case counts and hospitalizations as vaccinations lag in Memphis and Shelby County. After a month-long hiatus, joint task force briefings in Shelby County are back, and as City of Memphis Chief Operating Officer Doug Mcgowen explained Thursday, “We stopped these briefings about a month ago, and said if things change substantially, that we would be back. So, that means things have changed substantially.”
The new daily case rate now sits at 174 new infections a day over a seven-day average. That number, Mcgowen explained, is four times higher than it was in Shelby County a month ago. Likewise, the test positivity rate has jumped from 2.7% up to 11.1% during the same time.
And roughly 88% of the 162 people in area hospitals with COVID-19, are unvaccinated. While an age-specific breakdown of those currently hospitalized wasn’t immediately available in the task force briefing, Mcgowen confirmed patients are generally “trending younger.”
Ok, things aren’t great — does this mean we’re going back to masking up indoors?
If Shelby Countians are expecting a reinstated mask mandate or restrictions on businesses — joint task force officials offered no indication that they’re right.
Rather, Shelby County Health Officer Bruce Randolph reiterated the health department’s official stance: even if you are fully vaccinated, mask up when you know you will be in a crowded indoor space, or an indoor space with poor ventilation.
When asked about returning restrictions, and whether the health department is considering a return to “tripwires” (metrics intended to help govern how the region enacts COVID-19 restrictions), Randolph confirmed the department was not considering any sort of return to restrictions.
“We’re monitoring the data, following it closely, but a decision whether to institute any mandates or requirements will be something that will be made in collaboration with stakeholders, policymakers, and task force members,” Randolph said, adding that, “We’re not there yet.”
“The issue isn’t restrictions,” Randolph said, sounding borderline exasperated, “The fundamental issue is vaccinations. People got to get vaccinated, that’s the point.”
What about these ‘breakthrough’ cases in Shelby County?
Randolph addressed concerns Thursday about the number of “breakthrough cases” recorded by the health department. The term is used to describe a COVID-19 infection contracted by a fully vaccinated individual.
Vaccines he said, are still the best defense against the delta variant, but they are not the panacea needed to ensure there is no virtual chance of becoming infected.
So far, there have been 458 breakthrough cases in Shelby County since vaccinations were made available, with 30 those cases involving delta variant infections.
“But that’s out of the 400,000 people who have received the vaccine,” Randolf said.
“What is a more important concern, is that 88% of those individuals who are hospitalized, who are severely sick, who are in intensive care ... 88% of those are unvaccinated,” he said
There are still opportunities to get the vaccine through the City of Memphis
The takeaway message from the task force meeting, repeated ad nauseam for a county population only slightly over 40% vaccinated — is that the COVID-19 vaccines are overwhelmingly preventing infections among those that have taken the shot.
Community-based organizations are now handling the bulk of vaccination efforts for Memphis and Shelby County, a list of which can be found on the city’s website.
Recently, a door-to-door campaign featured volunteers canvassing neighborhoods and talking with residents who may be wary or suspicious of taking the shot, for a number of reasons that range from misinformation to distrust. Those efforts resulted in more than 1,000 residents who said they would now consider getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Mcgowen said city officials will launch a pilot program in the near future that will physically take doses door-todoor, and provide shots on the spot for those that change their mind.