Coronavirus: Six new deaths reported
UT’HSCs Director of Pathology Tim Hodge holds a vial containing a sample of dead COVID-19 virus to be tested at UTHSC’s coronavirus testing lab in the Hamilton Eye Center on April 16, 2020. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian file)
Yesterday, the Shelby County Health Department reported seven new coronavirus-related deaths. Today, it reported six more.
At Thursday’s Joint COVID-19 Task Force briefing, Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter was asked about the relatively high number of reported deaths that day.
Haushalter said, as the country learns more about the illness, it’s becoming clearer that people can be sick for a long time before they die and that the number of deaths could be related to where the nation is in the pandemic and the number of people who have been sick for an extended time period.
On Friday, Oct. 2, the agency also reported 128 new coronavirus cases.
The 128 cases come from 2,348 tests, which gives the day a positivity rate of 5.5%.
(Courtesy: Shelby County Health Department)
Shelby County’s reported coronavirus total is now 31,771 cases, including 29,844 inactive cases/recoveries, 1,452 active cases and 475 deaths.
In Shelby County, 458,504 tests have been performed; 279,777 individuals have been tested. (Some people have been tested multiple times.)
There were 163 COVID-positive patients in area hospital beds as of 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, per state data; 56 were in intensive care units.
According to the Tennessee Healthcare Resource Tracking System, 87% of area ICU and 90% of area acute care beds were in use.
About 17% of area ICU patients were either COVID-positive (56) or suspected of having coronavirus (5). About 6% of area acute care patients were either COVID-positive (107) or suspected of having coronavirus (19).
And 53 area ICU and 245 area ICU beds were available.
The state’s Department of Health reports statewide coronavirus figures at 2 p.m. daily.
As of Thursday, Oct. 1, it reported 197,432 coronavirus cases, including 2,501 deaths, 846 current hospitalizations and 180,781 inactive cases/recoveries.
Close to 3 million coronavirus tests have been performed in Tennessee.
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coronavirus Shelby County Health Department Tennessee Department of Health Tennessee Healthcare Resource Tracking SystemElle Perry
A native Memphian, Elle Perry has earned graduate degrees from the University of Memphis and Maryland Institute College of Art. She’s written for publications including the Memphis Business Journal, Memphis Flyer and High Ground News, and previously served as coordinator of The Teen Appeal.
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