Governor Lee Statement on Lifting Additional School Sports Restrictions
Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee released the following statement in coordination with his video announcement: https://youtu.be/PTrpahutpTI?t=166
“Tennessee’s COVID-19 numbers continue to rapidly improve with almost a 60% decline in cases and nearly a 40% decline in hospitalizations because of the efforts of Tennesseans to wear masks, wash hands and limit gatherings. When case counts were at their highest, we placed temporary, targeted restrictions on indoor school sporting events. The data now reflects rapidly falling numbers and because of that data, we are ending the recent additional restrictions around who can participate in or attend indoor school sporting events. The guidance and rules of local education agencies and the TSSAA remain in place, but Executive Order 74 will be suspended effective Monday, February 1. I encourage Tennesseans to keep up their responsible personal choices as we work towards a COVID-free Tennessee.”
Next Vaccination Phase
I am frequently asked when the Cumberland County Health Department (CCHD) will move to the next phase of vaccinations. County health departments will move through the phases based on how long it takes to get the current phase vaccinated. Cumberland County has approximately 7,524 residents that are 75+. The CCHD is in risk-based criteria 1a1 and 1a2, and age-based criteria of 75+. That means in addition to the 7,524 in the age-based criteria, they have to vaccinate all of the risk-based in phases 1a1 and 1a2 which include healthcare providers, first responders, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, etc. When that population is vaccinated, the CCHD will move to the next risk and age-based phases. The next age-based group consists of approximately 5,175 people from ages 70 – 74 living here.
The speed of vaccinations and how quickly CCHD can between phases depends solely on the number of doses CCHD has allocated by and receives from the State of Tennessee. CCHD generally administers all first dose vaccinations within a day or so of receiving them.
NOTE: The dates on the phases are just estimates and will vary from county to county based on the information above.
COVID-19 Update (difference from previous day)
- 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.
260 active cases (-22)
5,255 inactive/recovered (+38)
80 deaths officially reported (+1)
5,570 positive cases (+3)
120 cumulative hospitalizations (+0) *
15.14% positivity rate – 7-day average
93.92% Inactive/Recovered
11.36% cumulative positivity rate (positive cases / positive cases + negative tests)
9.24% of residents have tested positive
0.43% 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.
Vaccination Information
The State of Tennessee health departments, including the one here in Cumberland County, are now allowing eligible individuals to register online for an appointment WAITING LIST for COVID-19 vaccinations. This is a process to get on a waiting list for an appointment, not an actual appointment.
There are three-steps in the process:
- Find Your Phase by clicking:
https://covid19.tn.gov/covid-19-vaccines/eligibility/ - Find the Cumberland County Phase by clicking:
https://covid19.tn.gov/covid-19-vaccines/vaccine-phases/ - If you are in a phase currently being vaccinated here in Cumberland County, register for the vaccination appointment WAITING LIST by clicking here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/cumberlandpriority
If you can’t get on the appointment waiting list by clicking above, you can still call the Cumberland County Health Department at (931) 484-6196 to schedule an appointment. You may have to try several times to get through as call volume is at historic levels due to the worldwide pandemic.
VACCINATIONS ARE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.
Those with general questions about COVID-19 may call the COVID-19 Public Information Line at 877-857-2945 or 833-556-2476 between 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday – Friday and 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
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 Health Department 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 9:00 am until 1:00 pm. (This is a change from the regular 8:00 am start time, due to increasingly colder temperatures)
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 on self-testing days.
CCHD will continue to provide COVID-19 testing on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the assistance of health department staff.
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 - Tennessee COVID-19 Vaccination Plan
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/cedep/novel-coronavirus/COVID-19_Vaccination_Plan.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/ - 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 
Today’s email stated : The CCHD is in risk-based criteria 1a1 and 1a2, and age-based criteria of 75+. That means in addition to the 7,524 in the age-based criteria, they have to vaccinate all of the risk-based in phases 1a1 and 1a2 which include healthcare providers, first responders, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, etc.
I am on the waiting list as a healthcare provider, but have been told by the health dept. that they would take care of ALL the 75 and over population BEFORE they would allow the others in Phase 1a2 to be vaccinated. Why ?