The number of COVID-positive patients in area hospitals is 278, as of 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19, according to Tennessee's Healthcare Resource Tracking System. Two weeks prior, that number was 359.

House Minority Leader Karen Camper is recuperating at her Memphis home under the care of a physician after contracting COVID-19.

Masking and social distancing greatly damped flu in the Southern Hemisphere over the summer. But it also means there was little to go on in what the Northern Hemisphere flu vaccine should include.

Three Shelby County Health Department Employees toured Collierville Schools Tuesday.

The most recent daily positivity rate also fell below 10%. 

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

School districts throughout the state are taking different approaches to reporting COVID-19 cases. Some are prepared to notify parents and the public about outbreaks, while others are only notifying the parents of children who may have come into contact with a positive case.

Memphis police officer Bobby Montgomery worked for MPD for 17 years and was remembered as a "gentle giant" who loved the community and being an officer. He died Sunday, Aug. 16 of complications from COVID-19. 

Gov. Bill Lee’s media briefing is scheduled for 4 p.m. today.

For people who have moderate to severe coronavirus symptoms, the isolation period may extend to 20 days, Alisa Haushalter said. She said it’s important for employers and schools to be prepared for this. 

The Shelby County Health Department reported 89 new coronavirus cases and six new related deaths on Tuesday, Aug. 18.

All of the school's athletics have been suspended, as well. 

The Shelby County Health Department reported 89 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, Aug. 18.

With most businesses struggling this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bank of Bartlett has served as a lifeline for more than 1,500 businesses and 10,600 employees.

Four suburban school districts opened for a new academic year Monday morning like none they have ever encountered.

The Shelby County Health Department reported 229 new cases and four new related deaths on Monday, Aug. 17.

Baptist needs 15,000 gowns a day; to get them, it chartered a plane through FedEx, straight from China.

The Yellow Fever epidemic of 1878 in Memphis spawned new words, such as "Stranger Fever," and changed people's thoughts and actions. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its "social distancing" and "new normal" is not so different. History has provided an echo. 

The number of coronavirus cases in Shelby County has topped 25,000. Nearly 15.3 % of the reported cases were positive Sunday.

On "Behind The Headlines," Dr. James Downing talked about the gap between public health and health care as well as the research hospital's $20 million effort to keep the virus off its campus through weekly testing. Data from the testing regimen is also part of a global research effort and St. Jude is participating in clinical trials for a vaccine.

The threshold is dramatically higher than other cities across the nation. New York City’s mayor has said school buildings must shutter if the positivity rate exceeds 3%, and other school districts have vowed to limit in-person learning when the rate hits 5%.

According to the state's Healthcare Resource Tracking System, area hospitals had 51 ICU and 236 acute care beds available, as of 5 p.m. Thursday.

Gov. Bill Lee’s press briefing is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13.

The Tennessee Department of Human Services is reminding parents the deadline is approaching to apply for a program to help provide food for their children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pool testing the city is doing through Poplar Healthcare is now aimed at teachers and students.