Reporter
Omer Yusuf covers Bartlett and North Memphis neighborhoods for The Daily Memphian. He also analyzes COVID-19 data each week. Omer is a former Jackson Sun reporter and University of Memphis graduate.
There are 729 articles by Omer Yusuf :
Even as the COVID-19 vaccine supply in Shelby County remains low, discussion is ongoing about how to ensure when that changes how it’s distributed in an accessible way to all communities countywide. Related Story: Black community leaders combat distrust in COVID vaccine Related Story: OPINION: Suburbs deserve vaccine locations too
Shelby County Health Department officials say they are vaccinating funeral and mortuary employees as well as people 75 and older when there is availability. Meanwhile, officials reported 1,020 new coronavirus cases from 5,933 test results, yielding a 17.2% positivity rate.
Beginning today, funeral workers can begin getting vaccinated against the coronavirus.
New Shelby County coronavirus data will be included in Sunday’s update, according to an email from the Health Department.
From Dec. 11 to Friday, Dec. 25, the Health Department reported an average of 765 cases a day and 6,510 test results a day with a 11.8% positivity rate. Eight of the 10 highest daily increases of new cases occurred in this period.
Police said the driver was treated for minor injuries and no one else was hurt Christmas night when a car crashed into the main lobby of the hospital at 1265 Union Ave. in Midtown Memphis.
Many of the Lunches ‘n Love volunteers don’t have to imagine what it was like for those walking into the parking lot, hoping to leave with more than they came. They were once homeless themselves.
Friday’s 619 cases come from 4,909 tests, giving Christmas Day a positivity rate of 12.6%.
Each coronavirus surge in Shelby County came with an increase in cases, hospitalizations and deaths that preceded the previous one as transmission rose significantly.
From Dec. 5 to Dec. 19, the Health Department reported an average of 691 new cases and 6,093 test results each day with a 11.3% positivity rate. One hundred thirty-two coronavirus-related deaths have been reported since Dec. 1. That represents 16.4% of all pandemic deaths in Shelby County.
A new health directive is looming – one that could significantly tighten restrictions for the upcoming holidays.
The 21 deaths reported Saturday range from Nov. 11 to Dec. 15, according to the Health Department. This follows the 23 deaths reported Friday. With the 44 new deaths in the past two days, Shelby County has surpassed the 800 mark.
The Shelby County Health Department reported 625 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, Dec. 18.
On Thursday, the Frayser Exchange Club awarded Steve Lockwood its 2020 Community Service Award. He’s credited in helping turnaround one of the city’s worst housing markets during the past decade.
As the first COVID-19 vaccinations began in Memphis hospitals Thursday, Gov. Bill Lee offered a message of hope that the pandemic’s end is close but also acknowledged the challenges of Tennessee being in the midst of its worst surge yet.
The Health Department reported 1,163 new COVID-19 cases and four more coronavirus-related deaths in its daily update Thursday morning.
The Shelby County Health Department reported 779 new COVID-19 cases and four more coronavirus-related deaths in its daily update Wednesday, Dec. 16.
Homeless veterans, those in second chance and sober living programs or people simply wanting to get their lives in order are the target groups for The Purpose Place, the applicant behind the proposal.
Tuesday’s case numbers yielded a 10.6% positivity rate.
The meeting, held at T.O. Fuller State Park, was led by community organizers, neighborhood associations and 38109 ZIP code residents not satisfied with responses to their concerns by those leading the Byhalia Connection project.
The 930 coronavirus cases came from 8,187 test results, yielding a 11.4% positivity rate. Five new COVID-related deaths were also reported, bringing the total to 731.
From Nov. 28 to Saturday, Dec. 12, the Health Department reported an average of 501 coronavirus cases and 4,493 test results a day with a 11.2% positivity rate.
Granville T. Woods Academy was awarded a $320,000 grant from University of Tennessee’s Extension program. The STEM-based (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) school was one of two grant recipients in the entire state.
The event begins 10 a.m. Thursday at 1602 Dellwood Ave., in the parking lot between Frayser Corning Elementary and Martin Luther King College Prep, two FCS schools operated under ASD.
After eight years as Alderwoman Position 6, Paula Sedgwick said her final goodbyes to the other members of the legislative body and Mayor Keith McDonald at Bartlett’s Board and Mayor of Aldermen meeting Tuesday, Dec. 8.