Coronavirus in Memphis: Latest updates of COVID-19 in Shelby County
This story was last updated: Wednesday, April 1 at 3:42 p.m.
By the numbers: Statewide cases of coronavirus in Tennessee reached 2,683 Wednesday afternoon, up from 2,239 a day earlier. There have been 24 deaths and 200 hospitalizations, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.
As of Wednesday morning, there were 497 COVID-19 cases reported in Shelby County, up from 428 the previous day. The Shelby County Health Department reported three fatalities, as of Tuesday morning.
Watch the White House give COVID-19 update:
Here are the latest updates from around the Memphis area:
Wave of COVID-19 patients hits Memphis hospitals
State officials and the Army Corps of Engineers are expected to announce the location of a new 1,000-bed hospital in Memphis in the coming days, but Dr. Manoj Jain, the infectious disease expert advising the city of Memphis, said Memphis hospitals are already seeing an influx of COVID-19 patients.
"We really need to get the message out. We have already 70 or more patients," Jain told Shelby County Commissioners in a conference call Wednesday.
Jain added that the Memphis area doesn't have enough hospital beds, ICU beds or enough equipment to handle all the patients hospitals are likely to get.
"The number of hospital beds we have - say about 3,000. We need to be thinking double that," he said. "We have ventilators, about 700. We need to be looking three times as many. Any way you calculate it, it’s a one or two multiplier for the need that we have."
Memphis Emergency Management seeks volunteers
The Memphis Office of Emergency Management is partnering with Volunteer Memphis and other local organizations to create a database of volunteers who could help the community as the COVID-19 outbreak continues.
"There is a potential, but unknown, great need for individuals and groups that fall into the “Skilled Based” volunteer category," OEM said in the application form. "Thus, OEM has asked Volunteer Memphis to assist in building a database of volunteers who may or may not be called upon to serve, but who are willing to be contacted by the OEM should the need arise."
The volunteer form lists more than a dozen skilled positions that could be required, including medical professionals, paramedics, forklift drivers, construction workers, fitness experts and truck drivers.
Kroger grants workers $2 per hour hazard raise, promises enhanced safety
The largest grocery chain in the U.S., Kroger granted its workers a $2 per hour hazard raise -- less than a week after an employee at the company's Memphis warehouse tested positive for COVID-19, causing distribution to slow across the mid-South.
Kroger announced the pay increase the same day the chain disclosed it saw a 30% surge in sales, not including fuel, in March.
"It's a time of crisis and these billion dollar companies need to take it more serious,” Memphis warehouse worker Maurice Wiggins told The CA. He said he’s proud of Kroger for stepping up. But he added: “I hate that we had to go through these measures to get here.” The warehouse workers, who supply 100 stores across the Mid-South, will now also be granted one day off per week, down from their previously mandatory seven-day week, of shifts as long as 16 hours.
Kroger also announced changes coming to stores, to protect cashiers and promote social distancing.
More:Kroger grants workers $2 per hour hazard raise after coronavirus prompts 30% surge in March sales
Regional cooperation ramps up as officials stress importance of 'safer at home' orders
Shelby County officials said they are including neighboring counties in a regional approach to mitigating the effects of COVID-19.
Mayor Lee Harris said Wednesday officials from neighboring counties were in the early stages of coordination, noting that mayors in neighboring Southaven and West Memphis are on board for coordinating similar "safer at home" measures. Officials have come under scrutiny for lacking a joint strategy across the tri-state Mid-South.
Alisa Haushalter, director of the Shelby County Health Department, said officials in DeSoto and Crittenden counties have been invited to participate in task force calls.
More:In coronavirus fight, tri-state region around Memphis lacks coordination, joint strategy
Bruce Randolph, health officer for the department whose job encompasses compliance, reminded businesses and individuals that compliance with "safer at home" orders and the health department directives is a "requirement" not a recommendation, and that not complying could lead to misdemeanor charges.
"So starting today, as health officer, I am issuing specific health directives to individuals and to businesses who are not complying with the executive orders and health directives that have been issued," Randolph said at a press conference Wednesday.
He said the next step will be issuing written notice to those who are not complying with the orders and directive.
Officials shared a map of cases by zip code, and said that the need for testing availability in all areas of the county will be addressed. Randolph said the county needs more testing, and said the health department is currently behind on contact tracing — or identifying individuals who may have come in contact with a patient who reported positive for COVID-19 — due to the volume of cases.
"We want all of Shelby County to be represented in our data so we have a true picture of what we’re dealing with," Randolph said.
Haushalter said labs can take 6-10 days to report the information to the health department, so symptomatic individuals should remain isolated. She encouraged employers to instruct individuals who test positive to stay at home.
Alvin Benson of the Shelby County Fire Department encouraged symptomatic individuals to first contact primary care physicians before calling 911 for COVID-19 symptoms, unless it is an emergency, he said. Responders have seen an uptick in 911 calls, he said, noting that all have a "ceiling" for capacity of calls.
"We don’t want to prevent those who need care from getting care," he said.
David Crosby concert at Graceland postponed
The David Crosby concert scheduled for May 29 at the theater in the Guest House at Graceland has been postponed, Graceland officials said Wednesday.
“Efforts are currently being made to reschedule this show as soon as possible,” a press statement from Graceland reported. “All tickets previously purchased will be honored for the new date, and we will send an update once a confirmed rescheduled date is set. Thank you for your patience during these unprecedented times.”
With tickets ranging from close to $700 (for a “VIP Package”) to $70, the event had been promoted as a rare intimate concert experience with Crosby: The Guest House Theater inside the Graceland hotel has 464 seats.
A two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a founding member of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, the 78-year-old folk-rock artist is known for such countercultural anthems as the Byrds’ hit “Eight Miles High” (which he co-wrote) and “Almost Cut My Hair,” with its famous explainer: “But I didn’t, and I wonder why/ I feel like letting my freak flag fly.” (Perhaps more topically, the song also includes this lyric: “Must be because I had the flu this Christmas/ And I’m not feeling up to par…”)
Welcome to Memphis offers one-time grants to hospitality workers
In response to economic fallout resulting from the coronavirus crisis, Welcome to Memphis is disseminating financial assistance to Memphis area hospitality professionals affected by the pandemic through the Welcome to Memphis COVID-19 Fund.
“Our hearts go out to all our ‘Memphis Insiders’ who need this assistance,” said Mary Schmitz, Executive Director at Welcome to Memphis. “The Welcome to Memphis fund is limited. We are using a random system so that everyone who applies during this upcoming week, will have the same opportunity to have their name drawn for one of the individual grants.”
Starting April 1, hourly workers in the hospitality industry who have been terminated may apply for one-time grants online on the Welcome to Memphis website.
The application will be available until the end of the business day on Monday, April 6, and grants will be awarded that same week.
Cell phone store gives away surgical masks
A cell phone store is giving away surgical masks today, Wednesday. The giveaway is taking place at Smooth Wireless, a Boost Mobile store at 4305 Summer Avenue. It began before 10 a.m. and is ongoing.
Longtime community activist Jose Salazar, who works in the store, is promoting the effort online. In a Facebook post, he said the store is giving the masks away, not selling them. “It’s for the simple goal of helping the community,” he said in Spanish.
In a brief phone interview, he said organizers are giving away fresh fruit as well. “So we’re trying to help out the community as much as we can," Salazar said.
He said organizers are not giving away full boxes of masks and will try to give a small number of masks to each person who comes.
Juvenile detention center officer tests positive for COVID-19
Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner said at a commission meeting Wednesday that an officer who works in the Shelby County juvenile detention center has tested positive for COVID-19.
Turner said the minors in custody at the facility have been isolated but that they have not yet been tested for the virus. He said that the county should do "everything we can" to stop the virus from spreading inside the detention center.
More:Officer at Shelby County juvenile detention center tested positive for COVID-19
Shelby County health department identifies assisted living facility impacted by COVID-19 outbreak
The Shelby County health Department has identified the assissted living facility being monitored for an outbreak of reported COVID-19 cases.
Carriage Court of Memphis, located in East Memphis, is currently experiencing a rash of reported COVID-19 cases among their staff and senior citizen residents.
The outbreak was discussed in county health department press conferences Monday and Tuesday, but was not named until Wednesday morning.
Read more:Health Department names Memphis assisted living facility with COVID-19 outbreak
Methodist system solicits mask donations
Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare is asking for donations of monetary gifts, cleaning supplies and homemade masks for their healthcare workers facing daily exposure to the novel coronavirus.
The hospital system included instructions for do-it-yourself masks in their request for donations, indicating they are open to receiving supplies from private individuals in addition to manufacturers.
Methodist said they are seeking the following items for donation:
- N95 masks
- Surgical masks (see note below)
- Face shields
- Clorox wipes (must be Clorox brand)
- Industrial-grade bleach cleaning agents
Methodist has set up a landing page on their website for the coordination of supply donations.
U of M 3D-prints face-shield frames to donate to Tennessee hospitals
The University of Memphis is fabricating face-shield frames using its 3D printers 24 hours a day in its Metal Additive Manufacturing Lab at Herff College of Engineering to provide to Tennessee hospitals in an effort to aid them against COVID-19.
Ebrahim Asadi, the lab’s director and assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering, and staff have so far delivered 135 3D-printed face-shield frames to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.
Eighty-three frames were driven by Asadi to Jackson, Tennessee, and will be delivered to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA). Hospitals and clinics in need of them should contact their local emergency management agencies.
“This is a very special task to me that I can help the health care professionals who are fighting this pandemic on the front line,” Asadi said.
Using five commercial-grade 3D printers, the UofM Metal Additive Manufacturing Lab has been printing around the clock. Each printer has the capability to produce three to four frames at a time, taking two to three hours for each run.
Strickland extends emergency declaration for seven days
As he said he would, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland extended the city’s emergency declarations by seven days.
Strickland issued an executive order late Tuesday that extended his first state of emergency and his civil emergency declaration by seven days. That first state of emergency was issued March 17, then extended March 24. State law requires such seven-day extensions.
The text of the order does not say Strickland has extended the safer at home order, which expires April 6. Strickland has said he will do so, however.
A state of emergency allows the city to suspend certain purchasing rules and seek federal and state emergency management dollars. A civil emergency grants the mayor broad powers to shutter businesses.
Reported case count of COVID-19 rises to 497
New figures released Wednesday morning by the City of Memphis show 497 reported cases of COVID-19, up from both of the reported case totals reported on Tuesday.
At the end of the day Tuesday, updated figures from the Tennessee Department of Health indicated there were 428 reported cases of COVID-19 in Shelby County.
The figure reported by both the City of Memphis and the Shelby County Health Department was 405.
A new data line from the City of Memphis shows 121 people throughout Tennessee with COVID-19 have fully recovered, while 23 have died.
There have been three COVID-19-related deaths in Shelby County.
Approximately 27,360 COVID-19 tests have been administered throughout the state, and of those tests, 8.18 percent returned positive results.
Shelby County Clerk's office temporarily closes
The Shelby County Clerk's office temporarily closed Monday as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gov. Bill Lee issued an order extending vehicle registrations, drivers licenses, Tennessee identifications and handgun renewals. To add, compliance with REAL ID was extended an additional year.
Important things to note while the clerk's office is closed:
- Valid motor vehicle registrations set to expire March 12 through May 18, 2020, now expires June 15, 2020.
- Valid Class A, B, C, D, P and M driver licenses and Class ID photo identification licenses set to expire March 12 through May 18, 2020, are extended for six months from the current date the license is set to expire.
- Valid enhanced handgun carry permits set to expire March 12 through May 18, 2020, have been extended for six months from the current date permit is set to expire.
Tuesday updates
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- Poplar Healthcare processes COVID-19 tests
- State urges use of their unemployment app
- Two more COVID-19 deaths reported in Shelby County
- Second Presbyterian church reports clergy death due to COVID-19
- Reported COVID-19 cases in Shelby County top 400
Monday updates
Click here to read all Monday updates
- Shelby County marks dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases
- Redbirds, 901 FC staff sees layoffs, furloughs amid coronavirus pandemic
- Loan fund created to help Downtown businesses at risk of closure
- Germantown announces layoffs of part-time employees
- Rep. Cohen asks for shelter-in-place orders in Mississippi, Arkansas
- $1.3 million Memphis contract for masks illustrates search for COVID-19 protective gear
Weekend updates
Click here to read all the weekend updates
- Vulnerable people should wear face masks, and anyone else can consider wearing one, too, says city's task force
- Memphis-based manufacturer donates 14,000 masks to local workers
- Threat of storms closes coronavirus testing at Fairgrounds
- Tennessee cases count rises to 1,373
- Shelby County reports first COVID-19 death
- Shelby County reports 275 cases
Friday updates
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- 7 Memphis firefighters test positive for COVID-19
- Basketball courts, dog parks among recreational areas now closed
- Public visitation at county jails halted
- Tennessee count of reported COVID-19 cases tops 1,200
- Shelby County DA's office updates on court proceedings, inmates
- Memphis airport traffic sees big drop
- BISSELL sponsors pet adoptions in Memphis
- Reported COVID-19 cases in Shelby County rise
- COVID-19 testing site now open to the public
Thursday updates
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- Kroger warehouse worker positive, union says
- MPD Director in quarantine
- Strickland: 11 employees positive
- Pink Palace launches ’museum to-go'
- TN Dems push Lee for statewide plan, shelter-in-place
- Explore Bike Share offers free access
- Juvenile Court to hold smaller number of in-custody proceedings
- Annual commemoration of MLK's death will be virtual this year
- Bored kiddos? Brooks museum "Chalkfest" exhibit to go virtual
- Christ Community Health Services receives federal grant
- Shelby County reported case count at 198
- Senate passes stimulus plan
Wednesday updates
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- WMC, SCS to broadcast home lessons for students
- TN Dept. of Human Services announces workforce program
- SCS board cancels March meetings
- COVID-19 impacting young people in Shelby Co
- Majority of Memphis city hall staff working from home
- Oak Court, Southland Mall announce temporary closures
- Pastor at Hope Church in Memphis tests positive for COVID-19
- Shelby County inmates test negative for COVID-19
- Regional One employees test positive for COVID-19
- COVID-19 case count rises to 170 for Shelby County
Last Tuesday updates
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- 'Shelter in place' health directive issued for Shelby County
- TVA donates respirator masks
- Kroger warehouse employees working to keep 100 grocery stores stocked
- St. Jude has tested almost 200 people for COVID-19 with its own program
- 'Difficult' for Memphis to return to work in two weeks, health department says
- Tennessee case count now 667
- Shelby County coronavirus count climbs to 135
- Amid partial shutdown, local businesses get creative, change services - delivery of books, $4 sack lunches for kids
- Cancellation of "Rocky Horror" performance illustrates broad impact of virus on our society
- MLGW restricts public access to its offices
- OUTMemphis requests donations for food and hygiene kits
- Memphis hospitals serve multi-county region, could see COVID-19 cases from far away
- Memphis Police Department restricts access to its stations
- Memphis restaurants offering in-house delivery to employ servers
- Old Dominick Distillery to produce up to 10,000 units of hand sanitizer
- MATA reinforces City of Memphis executive order
Last Monday updates
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- Shelby County Jail employee tests positive for coronavirus
- Several Germantown Fire Department employees in isolation
- Clerk's office closes after employee gets coronavirus
- Tennessee cases climb to 615
- Harris plans to join Memphis in shelter-in-place orderMemphis Mayor Jim Strickland issues 'safer at home' executive order
- COVID-19 reported case county reaches 84 in Shelby County
- Memphis football coaching staff pledges 360 meals to Mid-South Food Bank
- American Job Centers close locations, but still accept phone appointments
- DeSoto County COVID-19 cases rise to 23
- MATA adds temporary travel limitations for MATAplus customers