Health officials have been giving safety advice to the public for months. Local health care leaders told us how they plan to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Memphis Restaurant Association says the Health Department needs to share its data as it takes action to restrict restaurant business.

As of 5 p.m. Monday, Nov.23, the Health Department reported that 89% of the area’s acute care hospital beds were occupied.

Gov. Bill Lee continued to leave mask mandates in the hands of local officials Tuesday, while Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey estimated a late spring to early summer time frame for widespread vaccination availability.

As coronavirus surges, rising toll of infections, deaths push agencies to provide more testing.

Shelby County Health Department modeling shows more than 500 COVID-19 patients will be hospitalized by Christmas Day.

Today, the Shelby County Health Department reported 377 new COVID-19 cases, a figure that gives the area a 10.5% positivity rate for the day. 

Memphis-area hospitalizations hit their highest reported number since the pandemic began.

Grassroots group says good that comes of exercising ought to protect gyms as part of solution in fight against COVID.

A group of two dozen business owners were critical of the new restrictions, telling county commissioners they will destroy businesses already on the edge. Some argued they are worse than the problems posed by the virus. Meanwhile, the first vaccine shipments could arrive in mid-December.

In Shelby County, 356,189 people have been tested for coronavirus; 13% have received positive results.

Results over two-dose regimen not as high as Moderna and Pfizer, but AstraZeneca’s vaccine is cheaper and does not require extreme cold storage.

On Monday, new directives from the Shelby County Health Department go into effect and put new restrictions on businesses.

Since Nov. 7 the Health Department reported 401 new cases and 4,312 test results a day with a 9.3% positivity rate. This span included three of the four highest daily increases in COVID cases since the first case was reported in March.

Overall, the Health Department has reported 44,659 total coronavirus cases and 630 deaths, classifying 40,274 cases as inactive/recovered. Active cases in Shelby County stand at 3,755, a decrease from the 3,942 reported Friday.

The latest restrictions when warranted will be crafted by the Health Department and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris as they work with legal experts to enact the health directives countywide.

No businesses will close in new health directive, but restaurants will see a new curfew and diners will face new masking rules.

Related story: The process behind health directives and importance of tripwires

In Shelby County, 351,616 people have been tested for coronavirus; 13% have received positive results.

Mayors from the West Tennessee counties outside Shelby County heard a pitch from Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and others Thursday for a regional mask mandate. Harris says Gov. Bill Lee is unlikely to order a statewide mask requirement. The regional effort will move to one-on-one talks.

The mayors of Bartlett and Germantown are pushing Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee for a statewide mask mandate. Short of that, they’re working to create a county-by-county mandate among West Tennessee mayors. 

The 389 cases come from 3,621 tests, giving the day a positivity rate of 10.7%.

The Shelby County Health Department reported nearly 400 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, Nov. 19.

Increased restrictions designed to curb the rising COVID-19 numbers are likely coming soon, mayors were told Thursday.

The trial of Quellor, a drug to tame inflammatory response in COVID-19, is for people already sick and with underlying conditions.