Frayser CDC hires new executive director
Memphis native Damon Williams, who succeeds longtime director Steve Lockwood, has worked in nonprofit housing for the past 15 years.
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.
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Memphis native Damon Williams, who succeeds longtime director Steve Lockwood, has worked in nonprofit housing for the past 15 years.
City of Memphis COO Doug McGowen said the local COVID-19 task force is in search of a “testing czar” to look at coronavirus testing in Shelby County.
Memphis Police were called to Golf & Games Family Park at 5484 Summer Ave. on Saturday after youths stampeded and vandalized the business. Large crowds led to the business closing early.
The case total reported Tuesday is the second highest daily increase in the pandemic. Another 3,391 test results were reported with a positivity rate of 15.6%.
Dr. Bruce Randolph, Shelby County Health Department health officer, said coronavirus test results are coming back in three days or less in some cases. The goal is for that to be between 24 to 48 hours.
From July 15 to Wednesday, Shelby County averaged 375 new cases a day, 2,463 test results a day yielding a 15.2% positivity rate.
Shelby County’s overall positivity rate surpassed 10% this week. A concerning number local health experts wanted to avoid on a daily basis, much less for the overall rate.
Alisa Haushalter, Shelby County Health Department director, said the goal is to have coronavirus tripwires ready by tomorrow afternoon. She said this will be a good way to let the public know if we reach certain thresholds, actions will be taken.
Dr. Jon McCullers, a leader in the fight against COVID-19, encouraged parents and school districts to make the best individual choices when deciding on attendance for this school year.
Private and independent schools have far more autonomy in the decision-making process as opposed to schools in the districts like Shelby County.
High school sporting events, University of Memphis football and latest coronavirus data highlight Tuesday's COVID-19 joint task force briefing.
Dr. Bruce Randolph, Shelby County Health Department health officer, attributed the positive indicators locally to increased mask usage and other restrictions put in place.
During the period between July 22 to Wednesday, the county reported about 362 new cases and 2,309 tests results a day with a 15.7% positivity rate.
“As things become more open, we’re relying on you, your own judgement to decide whether or not you should attend or participate in certain activities,” Dr. Bruce Randolph said.
The health department reported 235 new coronavirus cases Thursday. That’s the fifth consecutive day with fewer than 300 new cases, and the third consecutive day testing results were below 2,000.
Until last week, the COVID-19 Hospital Impact Model for Epidemics (CHIME) from the University of Pennsylvania predicted 1,500 daily hospitalizations around that time.
It’s the first time students have attended in person school in Shelby County for nearly five months.
Frayser Community Schools decided this summer to start the year with all-virtual classes due to increasing COVID-19 cases in Shelby County over the past several months.
A gym, aquatics center, tennis court, park and art space are some features of the new Ed Rice Community Center.
Four suburban school districts opened for a new academic year Monday morning like none they have ever encountered.
The Shelby County Health Department is not tracking the number of COVID-19 cases in the schools nor is it requiring schools to report cases. Related: Like Shelby County, COVID-19 reporting among schools statewide is random
Emmanuel Tuombe grew up in Rwanda, a country of about 13 million people located in East Africa. In 2015, Tuombe opened an engineering and construction firm in Memphis, about 8,000 miles away from his native county.
Over the past four months, the Carpenter Art Garden, located on Carpenter Street, has distributed over 1,000 masks in Binghampton – free of charge – for both adults and children.
James and Peggy Jefferson were both diagnosed with and recovered from coronavirus in June. Now they can focus on keeping their business, Sherrod’s Furniture and Variety Store, afloat.
From August 15 to 29, the Shelby County Health Department reported an average of 176 new coronavirus cases and 1,709 test results a day with a 10.3% positivity rate.