Lots of COVID-19 data but few answers about what the numbers mean for reopening
National Guard medics and The University of Tennessee Health Science Center staff collect nasal swabs as hundreds of Memphians line up for COVID-19 testing at the Christ Community testing site in Hickory Hill on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian)
David Waters
David Waters is Distinguished Journalist in Residence and assistant director of the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis.
The slowly rising tide of local confirmed COVID-19 cases and related deaths can get lost in the uneven ebb and flow of daily numbers.
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coronavirus coronavirus contact tracing COVID-19 COVID reopening COVID-19 reopening plan Coronavirus in Shelby County coronavirus impactsRelated stories
Local case rate stabilized over past month as testing jumped
The stabilization of Shelby County’s COVID-19 new case rate, along with increased testing and the steadily declining positivity rate, are among factors officials are considering when deciding whether Memphis and Shelby County should expand the reopening plan in the coming weeks.
Vanderbilt study shows Mid-South hospitalizations increase but transmission rate declining
Harris outlines $11.4 million expansion of Health Department
The expansion is the first allotment of nearly $50 million in federal CARES Act funding for Shelby County government and goes to the Shelby County Commission approval. County Mayor Lee Harris already has a plan for the rest of the money outside of the health department.
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