Health Department Vaccinations
My office has had many calls concerning scheduling for the vaccine at the Health Department. The call volume is tremendous and it is overflowing capacity. My understanding is that they have increased resources for the issue but the volume is historic due to the worldwide pandemic. I was asked to let everyone know to please hang up and try again if you get a busy signal or an odd message.
Our local Health Department is an arm of the Tennessee Department of Health. I communicate with to the Director almost daily concerning the pandemic. They have a great staff that is working as hard as they can for Cumberland County. As you can imagine, resources are strained.
Vaccine supplies from the State of Tennessee are in extremely limited supply, and the demand for vaccines is great. The overwhelming interest Cumberland County residents are showing in receiving COVID-19 vaccinations is great, and the Health Department is working as quickly as possible to provide vaccines as they receive additional shipments.
You can now contact the Cumberland County Health Department at (931) 484-6196 to schedule an appointment for a FIRST DOSE vaccination until the current supply is depleted. As stated above, you my have to try several times to get through.
As of now, if you don’t have an appointment for your SECOND DOSE, the Health Department will call you.
VACCINATIONS WILL BE PROVIDED BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.
DO NOT ARRIVE MORE THAN 15 MINUTES EARLY FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT. You will be turned away.
The Cumberland County Health Department is currently administering vaccines to individuals in groups 1a1, 1a2, and persons age 75 and older.
Health Department Information Line
The Cumberland County Health Department (CCHD) has opened a local information line at (931) 707-9007. The information line will be available Monday through Friday from 8:00 am until 4:30 pm.
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.
I still believe we are trailing in the number of inactive/recovered that are reported, but we are at the mercy of the data received by the State of Tennessee.
852 active cases (-9)
4,226 inactive/recovered (+23)
62 deaths officially reported (+4)
5,140 positive cases (+18)
105 cumulative hospitalizations (+1) *
41,661 negative tests (+78)
23.40% positivity rate – 7-day average
82.22% Inactive/Recovered
10.98% cumulative positivity rate (positive cases / positive cases + negative tests)
8.49% of residents have tested positive
1.41% 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
* Hospitalization data reflect the cumulative (total) number of cases of Cumberland County residents that were ever hospitalized AT ANY HOSPITAL from COVID-19. It does not reflect the number of people currently hospitalized.
Positivity rates are calculated by dividing positive tests by total tests. I was calculating it by dividing positive cases by positive tests plus negative tests in order to eliminate the double positives, but we are having so many probable cases of late it was throwing the rate off.
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
COVID-19 Eligibility Calculator
Check out the State’s new COVID-19 Eligibility Calculator below to find out the vaccination phase you are in:
https://covid19.tn.gov/covid-19-vaccines/eligibility/
COVID-19 Information and Vaccine Key Links
- State of TN COVID-19 Vaccine Resources:
https://covid19.tn.gov/covid-19-vaccines/
- TDH COVID-19 Vaccine Information:
https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov/covid-19-vaccine-information.html
- County Phase Status:
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/cedep/novel-coronavirus/CountyPhaseStatus.pdf
- Frequently Asked Questions:
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/cedep/novel-coronavirus/COVID-19_Vaccine_FAQ.pdf
- COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility Calculator:
https://covid19.tn.gov/covid-19-vaccines/eligibility/
- Click here for the TDH Quarantine & Isolation Calculator:
https://covid19.tn.gov/prevention/quarantine-isolation-calculator/
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 8:00 am until 1:00 pm.
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.
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 