The Shelby County Health Department reported 1,540 new cases on Monday, Dec. 27.

Last week, the agency loosened rules that previously called on health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test positive.

CVS and Walgreens pharmacies are also sold out of rapid testing kits online. 

An urgent care clinic at the site of the former Easy Way market at 5905 Stage Road provides a bridge between primary care and emergency room services. 

Nearly three out of every 1,000 Tennessee residents have died of COVID-19, new data from the state health department shows.

South Africa has been at the forefront of the Omicron wave and the world is watching for any signs of how it may play out there to try to understand what may be in store.

Shelby County Health Department director Dr. Michelle Taylor told Shelby County Commissioners Monday, Dec. 20, that caution is recommended for holiday gatherings.

Positive COVID tests among the staff at Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen have temporarily closed the popular East Memphis restaurant.

Shelby County Health Department Director Michelle Taylor said the holidays could be to blame.

Watch the COVID-19 Task Force Briefing live now. 

“Licensure of liars should not be allowed,” one Nashville physician told the state legislature’s Joint Government Operations Committee.

‘These results indicate the variant may already be spreading in Shelby County and possibly elsewhere in the state,’ Shelby County Health Director Dr. Michelle Taylor said.

The decision doesn’t declare a statewide mask mandate, nor does it force school districts to require universal masking. But it does prevent students from opting out of mask mandates if their schools have them.

There’s one more step: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must formally recommend the boosters for this age group and a decision is expected soon.

Pfizer says a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine may protect against the new Omicron variant even though the initial two doses appear significantly less effective.

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.

The university still encouraged workers to get vaccinated and submit proof.

The Pipkin Building site is planned to close Dec. 15, but City of Memphis COO Doug McGowen said if demand peaks it would reopen.

Watch the COVID-19 Task Force Briefing live now.

The Shelby County Health Department also issued a new health directive on Monday, Nov. 29.

The Shelby County Health Department expects all public schools and others under the Americans with Disabilities Act to mask, according to a memo sent to public and private school leaders Friday afternoon.

Lawyers for disabled students invited doctors to testify virtually to the U.S. District Court in Nashville to support their argument that a new Tennessee law violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Doses of Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson will be offered.

Gov. Bill Lee tweeted at 8:30 this morning he would not renew Tennessee’s state of emergency after it expires tonight.

The move to expand comes as new COVID-19 cases have climbed steadily over the last two weeks, especially in states where colder weather is driving people indoors.