County Mayor’s Notes – December 11th, 2020

Flu Vaccinations
The Cumberland County Health Department will no longer be offering Drive Thru Flu Shots at the Senior Center.  If you need to get a flu shot, they are still available free of charge at the Health Department.  Call 484-6196 for an appointment or if you are asymptomatic, just stop by and go inside.

COVID-19 Update (difference from previous day)
Please remember to wear a mask when appropriate, social distance, wash your hands, and 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 2:00 PM today. The change from the prior day, not my prior newsletter, is in parenthesis.

332 active cases (+29)
2,701 inactive/recovered (+5)
43 deaths officially reported (+1)
3,076 positive cases (+35)
94 cumulative hospitalizations (+0)
35,719 negative tests (+285)
18.43% positivity rate – 7-day average
87.81% Inactive/Recovered
7.93% cumulative positivity rate (positive cases / positive cases + negative tests)
5.08% of residents have tested positive
0.55% of residents have active cases

These numbers are intended to be a brief summary of the information provided by the Tennessee Department of Health (TDOH). More detailed information can be found at the online dashboard: https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov.html

Click here for the TDOH 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

The dashboard seems to be the last data that is updated so it can lag for several hours behind the 2:00 PM daily data release.

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

Vaccine Update

I have received several questions about the state’s vaccine plan.  They have now published a FAQ that can be found here:

https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/cedep/novel-coronavirus/COVID-19_Vaccine_FAQ.pdf

One of the most frequent questions that the state hears from Tennesseans is when the general public can expect to be able to receive the vaccine.  While the state does not have exact timeframes at this point, they have shared the anticipated phases of allocation. While these phases are subject to change, the graphic below (also found in the vaccination plan in the link below) illustrates what is anticipated for these phases at this time

https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/cedep/novel-coronavirus/COVID-19_Vaccination_Plan.pdf

Quarantine and Isolation Update
I also get several questions about quarantine (after exposure) and isolation (after testing positive).  The State now has a calculator to use to determine when your quarantine or isolation is over.  Check it out here:

https://covid19.tn.gov/prevention/quarantine-isolation-calculator/

Remember, you are supposed to quarantine after testing until you receive your result.  If the result is positive you should begin isolation and wait for a call from the Tennessee Department of Health in order to receive additional instructions.

Health Department Testing
The local Health Department (1503 South Main Street) is conducting drive through testing, free of charge, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM.  No doctor’s order is required, and no appointment is necessary. Anyone can be tested regardless of symptoms.

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