Germantown Baptist site also reopening; gauging demand.

Watch the COVID-19 Task Force Briefing live now.

An anti-vax “Freedom Rally” Downtown Wednesday drew several dozen people including a candidate for Tennessee governor and two congressional candidates.

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.”

There are 3,855 reported active coronavirus cases, 1,267 — or 33% — of them pediatric.

Also stresses adherence to the mask mandate in K-12 schools and where compliance issues can be reported. 

Some groups may get a booster dose, while other groups should get it, state health officials said. 

“We’re tired,” Sutton Mora, executive vice president and COO of the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis (CFGM) said, speaking for one and all. “That’s the word I keep using over and over.”

Related story: Coping with pandemic stress: From walks outside to a new furry friend

The director of hospital services at Vanderbilt Behavior Health says the pandemic-associated stress has become like the underlying conditions that make the virus itself more dangerous.

Related Story: A year and a half in, how COVID fatigue is affecting us

Statewide, there have been 4,933 student cases and 755 staff cases reported as of Friday afternoon.

Shelby County Health Department Director Dr. Michelle Taylor said she was “cautiously optimistic as cases and the 7-day average and positivity rate are dropping.”

In the past eight months, the number of local coronavirus deaths has doubled.

Thousands of locals — mostly children in lower socio-economic brackets — could be vulnerable to diseases such as measles, diphtheria and chicken pox.

A low vaccination rate is just one of the problems the city faces as it wrestles with chronic problems surrounding solid waste disposal. 

On Tuesday, Sept. 21, the Shelby County Health Department reported 212 new coronavirus cases and 15 new coronavirus-related deaths.

“To deploy truly lifesaving public health care in this pandemic requires a spirit of self-government primarily motivated by love of neighbor and a sense of personal responsibility.”

FCS was informed the student had been out of school since Aug. 16 due to an unrelated issue before being diagnosed with coronavirus, according to FCS spokesperson Erica Williams.

Nationally, children account for one in five coronavirus cases. But in Shelby County the numbers are more severe, with 25% of new patients being youngsters.

Shelby County Schools is offering meals for students who are in quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure. Parents can pick up the meals each morning in a drive-thru at the schools.

Pfizer and Moderna are studying even younger tots as well, down to 6-month-olds. Results are expected later in the year.

The Biden administration’s recent announcements regarding COVID-19 vaccines have set up a challenge with conservative states like Tennessee and raise legal questions. 

SCS Superintendent Joris M. Ray and Deputy Superintendent Angela Whitelaw joined Behind the Headlines to discuss what the full return to school buildings looks like and what the district is doing to keep students safe. 

Shelby County Schools reported 516 new COVID-19 cases among students and 69 among staff at the district’s public and charter schools.