Mask mandate lifted for fully vaccinated in Shelby County
New rule goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 15.
Jane Roberts
Reporter
Jane Roberts has reported in Memphis for more than 20 years. As a senior member of The Daily Memphian staff, she was assigned to the medical beat during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also has done in-depth work on other medical issues facing our community, including shortages of specialists in local hospitals. She covered K-12 education here for years and later the region’s transportation sector, including Memphis International Airport and FedEx Corp.
There are 1454 articles by Jane Roberts :
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May 2021
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Coronavirus -
Business Gaps in mask guidance leave businesses, churches, schools guessing
Some businesses, churches and other organizations feel paralyzed with how to provide a safe, potentially mask-less environment without knowing people’s vaccination status.
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Shelby County CDC guidelines prompt county to reconsider new directive
Shortly after the CDC announced vaccinated Americans could ditch the masks in most situations, Shelby County government said Health Directive No. 21, set to go into effect Saturday, may be in for a rewrite.
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Shelby CountyFirst 12-year-olds going through local shot lines
Shelby County children as young as 12 were starting to be vaccinated against COVID-19 on Thursday, May 13.
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Shelby CountyOnus on business owners’ choices with new directive
Local health officer Dr. Bruce Randolph has said that the new rules will allow people to vote with their feet.
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Coronavirus Will lift in mask mandate impact areas with low vaccine rates?
In some ZIP codes, vaccination rates are less than half the rates in other parts of Shelby County.
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Coronavirus County poised to remove mask mandate
The mask mandate will be lifted in the new health directive, beginning Saturday, May 15.
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Health Care Herd immunity ‘complicated’ but up to 66% of locals have COVID antibodies
“There is a lot of talk about we won’t get herd immunity. It depends on the definition of what you describe.”
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Shelby County Vaccinations for ages 12-15 possible by midweek
FDA advisory committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday, May 12.
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Health Care St. Jude unlocks gold mine of virus data
As St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital tested every front-line worker, every week, it put together a testing regime big enough to test and analyze hundreds of employee samples a day — providing a gold mine for immunology research.
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CoronavirusCity plans ‘get out the vote’ type vaccine campaign
The City of Memphis is ready now to set up phone banks, dispatch street teams.
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City of MemphisMasks, restrictions likely up to best judgment come May 15
Mayor Harris is gathering more advice this week, including hearing from the municipal mayors.
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CoronavirusCity revs up vaccination effort with chance to win Camaro
The sweepstakes is open to any Shelby County resident who has received any coronavirus immunization, including those who have only received one shot.
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Spirit of Memphis32 years later, mom finishes degree — with daughter — in a pandemic
Thirty-two years ago after quitting nursing school in her final semester, Penny Williams earned her RN degree in one of the first in-person commencement exercises in Memphis in more than a year.
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Health CareRegional One ranks poorly in national stats; Methodist earns A at each campus
Regional One Health earned the lowest marks for care and patient safety while Saint Francis-Bartlett and Methodist Olive Branch were the only four-star hospitals in the metro area.
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April 2021
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Health Care Economy recovering, but it won’t look the same, experts say
The pandemic will need to end before businesses shift gears to full recovery mode, according to Douglas Scarboro, regional executive with the Memphis Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, who said, “July 1 seems like a key revaluation point.”
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Shelby County Shelby holds out on ending mask mandate as other metros fall in line
Sullivan, Knox, Hamilton and Madison counties lift mask mandates; Davidson is waiting.
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Coronavirus Local leaders seeking advice on request to end mask mandate
“Masking got us through the surge and out of the summer surge,” said David Sweat, deputy director of the Shelby County Health Department. “We will only make changes after thoughtful consideration at this point.”
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Spirit of Memphis St. Jude plans $11.5B investment, 1,400 new jobs
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is launching its largest strategic investment in its nearly six decades in Memphis.
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Health Care Average age of those hospitalized for COVID falls dramatically
Most people currently hospitalized for coronavirus in Memphis are 30-55 years old and many have no underlying health conditions — a big shift from late March when the average patient’s age was mid-70s.
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Health Care 80% of COVID vaccine allotment went unused last week, state says
In early April, the City of Memphis was giving 60,000 shots a week. Monday, April 26, it gave a total of 1,100 shots across all of its public drive-thru venues.
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Coronavirus COVID no longer public health emergency, Gov. Lee says
Gov. Lee has requested counties with independent health departments — Shelby, Madison, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox and Sullivan — that have remaining business restrictions or mask requirements to lift all measures no later than May 30.
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Health Care Vaccinated welcome to resume lots of life’s fun, CDC says
Lifts restrictions on many outdoor activities and small-group gatherings, even some for those who are not vaccinated.
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Health Care No appointments, no lines, but Memphis vaccine rate lags
At last count, 41% of adults in Shelby County had received at least one vaccine; the goal is 70%. Local leaders have done everything from eliminating the need for appointments to giving vaccination recipients gift cards.
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Health Care Can an advocate reduce your COVID risk? UTHSC thinks so
University of Tennessee Health Science Center has trained health coaches to work in clinics in three cities that serve medically underserved people; and it’s taking notes on what happens.
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