We have discussed how Cumberland County has one of the 89 Health Departments ran by the State of Tennessee. On Wednesday, December 30, 2020, the local Health Departments found out during Governor Lee’s press conference that Tennessee would begin simultaneous age-based vaccinations coinciding with the previously released vaccine allocation phases (see graphic below). This change was in effect for the coming Saturday, January 2, 2021. That meant seniors ages 75 and older could get vaccinated sooner than originally anticipated.
That change, in my opinion, is a good thing and I am glad the Governor added the vaccinations of the older more vulnerable population to the timeline. The change also unexpectedly added thousands of individuals to the current phase of the vaccination plan on Wednesday when the Health Department was about to be closed for two days for the holidays. This posed many logistical issues as you can likely imagine.
The response from the public was overwhelming. Despite those challenges and the short timeline for preparation, our local health department was able to administer 981 vaccinations in a single day. From what I can gather, I believe that is the second most vaccines administered in the entire State of Tennessee this past Saturday. A very impressive feat.
It happened because we have local employees at the Health Department that care about our community. It happened because we had Sheriff’s Deputies, Crossville Police Officers, and many volunteers that came together to help the Health Department.
The following is a news release from our local Health Department.
MESSAGE FROM THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
January 3, 2020
COVID-19 Vaccine Information
Cumberland County Health Department staff successfully administered 981 vaccines on January 2, 2020. Thank you for your patience and understanding while we administer these vaccinations to our wonderful community while following the guidelines from the Governor’s plan.
Beginning Tuesday January 5, we will open a local information line at (931) 707-9007.
The information line will be available Monday through Friday from 8:00am until 4:30pm.
We are currently waiting for more vaccines to be delivered. Once more is received, we will continue to offer vaccinations to individuals in groups 1a1, 1a2, and those individuals over age 75.
COVID-19 Testing Information
COVID-19 testing will continue to be offered at the Cumberland County Community Complex (1398 Livingston Road, Crossville, TN 38571) Monday through Friday from 8:00am until 1:00pm.
Self-testing for individuals over age 18 will continue to be offered on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Smartphone with internet and email are required for everyone.
CCHD will continue to provide COVID-19 testing on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the assistance of health department staff.
Please stay tuned for more information from CCHD. Thank you.
END OF CCHD NEWS RELEASE
COVID-19 Update (difference from previous day)
According to the Governor’s Office, most new COVID-19 cases are coming from small group gatherings like weddings, showers, family events, etc. To reduce the spread, I am asking everyone to take extra care and to follow the basic rules/guidelines that are in place.
- If you feel sick, get tested.
- STAY HOME after being tested until you get your result.
- Wear a mask when appropriate. It is not a political statement; it is about everyone’s health.
- Practice social distancing.
- Wash your hands frequently.
- Follow the guidelines provided by Governor Lee and the CDC.
- Be smart and avoid places you feel are unsafe.
The following are the numbers from the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) for Cumberland County as of the date of this newsletter. The change from the prior day, not my prior newsletter, is in parenthesis.
Very few results have been reported for the last several of days, with very few negative results reported. This is likely significantly skewing the positivity rate.
766 active cases (+30)
3,868 inactive/recovered (+20)
53 deaths officially reported (+2)
4,687 positive cases (+52)
100 cumulative hospitalizations (+1)
40,462 negative tests (+79)
39.67% positivity rate – 7-day average
82.53% Inactive/Recovered
10.38% cumulative positivity rate (positive cases / positive cases + negative tests)
7.74% of residents have tested positive
1.27% of residents have active cases
These numbers are intended to be a brief summary of the information provided by the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH). More detailed information can be found at the online dashboard: https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov.html
Click here for the TDH Quarantine & Isolation Calculator:
https://covid19.tn.gov/prevention/quarantine-isolation-calculator/
A new dashboard has been released for each county. You can now view the Cumberland County COVID-19 dashboard here:
https://covid19.tn.gov/data/dashboards/?County=Cumberland
School level COVID-19 data is now available online. Click this link to see the information available for Cumberland County:
https://districtinformation.tnedu.gov/covid-information/search/-1/180
Thank you for being part of the solution and thank you for the opportunity to serve as your County Mayor. If you are interested in hearing my thoughts and views on news, events, and activities in Cumberland County, please subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Thank you,
Allen Foster
Cumberland County Mayor
http://allenfoster.net
allenfoster.com 