Governor names interim state Health Department head
Dr. Morgan McDonald replaces Dr. Lisa Piercey, who stepped down last month.
There are 30 article(s) tagged Dr. Lisa Piercey:
Dr. Morgan McDonald replaces Dr. Lisa Piercey, who stepped down last month.
Dr. Lisa Piercey, the face of the state’s efforts during the coronavirus pandemic, is stepping down from her post as Health Commissioner, Gov. Bill Lee announced Thursday, April 28.
Nearly three out of every 1,000 Tennessee residents have died of COVID-19, new data from the state health department shows.
The coronavirus Omicron variant isn’t in Tennessee yet — or, at least, no cases have been identified — but state Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said Monday, Dec. 6, that she expects it to arrive within a few weeks.
At a week of budget hearings, Gov. Bill Lee’s cabinet officials said they can’t compete in the labor market.
If federal guidance on who needs a booster shot seems complicated and long, the state commissioner of health shortens it to two words: “should” and “may.”
In the first 15 days of August, there were more hospitalizations than there were in any full month of the pandemic, although not all of those were due to the coronavirus.
Pediatric hospitalizations reflect COVID, rising number of respiratory infections. Related story:
Tennessee officials say local school boards and parents, not the state, should have the final say in whether students wear masks to school.
Because of the recent spike in Delta variant cases, Tennessee Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey said more vaccine-hesitant people have decided to get vaccinated.
Tennessee may still immunize 14-18-year-olds under Mature Minor Doctrine but instances are “very nuanced and fringe,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Lisa Piercey.
Republican state lawmakers floated the idea of “dissolving and reconstituting” the Tennessee Department of Health Wednesday, June 16, because of vaccine messaging they said amounted to “coercion.”
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.
All residents age 16 and older will be eligible to get vaccine appointments beginning next week, Shelby County Health Department Deputy Director David Sweat told county commissioners Monday afternoon, March 22.
A state spokesman says Tennessee’s plan emphasizes equity over speed, intentionally focusing on more vulnerable populations first. But only about 20% of West Tennessee’s vaccine appointments are booked each day.
State will issue final report in several weeks on the lapses it found at the Shelby County Health Department.
When state investigation is over, state Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey says she will report to the citizens of Shelby County.
The state Department of Health announced its decision to move into phase 1c Tuesday afternoon, and the Shelby County Health Department expanded eligibility to the same group Wednesday morning.
The first shipment of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is expected to arrive in Tennessee on Wednesday as local officials increase the anticipated number of vaccines administered by Aug. 1.
Going forward, vaccinating the citizens of Shelby County against COVID-19 is under the authority of the City of Memphis after the state transferred custody of the vaccine and administration of the process away from county leaders. It took a dizzying array of missteps for this to occur, and Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright says: “The public deserves to know what happened.” Related story:
County vaccination timeline
From Feb. 1 through last Friday, Feb. 26, the missteps that led to Dr. Alisa Haushalter’s downfall as director of the Shelby County Health Department unfolded day by day.
More than 2,400 doses wasted in seven separate incidents, state Department of Health says.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee denies that Shelby County is getting less than its share of COVID-19 vaccine, and he sent a letter to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland Wednesday, Jan. 27, saying so.
Dr. Jon McCullers, a Memphis infectious disease expert, says greater ‘central control’ was needed at both the federal and state levels for a more effective response to the coronavirus pandemic.
They’ll be able to get their shots during the same phase as Tennesseans ages 75 and above — and before those in the 65-74 age bracket.
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