Coronavirus case confirmed in Shelby County, Memphis officials announced

A coronavirus case was confirmed in Shelby County, County Mayor Lee Harris announced Sunday morning, and officials emphasized that hand-washing and staying at home if you are sick are among the methods that can help prevent spread of the respiratory virus.

The health department also recommended that people who are 60 or over stay home as much as possible and avoid crowds.

The Shelby County patient had traveled recently to another state within the U.S. and is doing well in treatment under special precautions at a Baptist Memorial Hospital in East Memphis, officials said. In response to reporters' questions at a news conference Sunday morning, officials would not disclose the person's gender or age, other than to describe the patient as an adult who's not elderly.

This is one of three confirmed cases of the virus that has been found in Tennessee. Shortly after Harris' announcement, Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced the first case in Davidson County.

COVID-19:Coronavirus detected in Nashville area, Tennessee's case total up to 3

The two new cases come three days after Gov. Bill Lee announced the state's first coronavirus case. That patient is a 44-year-old Williamson County man, who is quarantined at home with mild symptoms.

Alisa Haushalter, director of the Shelby County Health Department, emphasized that the Shelby County coronavirus patient traveled out of state recently within the U.S. 

"And that’s very important because that means that from our opinion there is no risk to the public at large," she said. "There is risk to individuals who have had close contact with the case, but not the public at large."

She would not say what state the person had traveled to, saying the investigation was ongoing. Nor did officials disclose when the person had returned to Memphis, or what method of travel the person used to return here.

A reporter asked about air travel, raising the possibility that the patient might have spread the virus to fellow passengers. Haushalter said, “At this point we have no concerns about air traffic, bus traffic or train traffic.”

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The health department will now do intensive tracing to identify everyone who has been in close contact with the patient, Haushalter said. Once they identify those people, health department officials will place them in quarantine for 14 days from their last contact with the patient and monitor them for symptoms, she said.

People over 60 now urged to avoid crowds

A news release from the health department later on Sunday passed along additional information: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that older persons (60 and over) and those with underlying chronic health conditions should stay home as much as possible and avoid crowds. Wearing face masks is not necessary for the general public and may not provide protection from the virus."

No impact yet on schools, public events 

Some jurisdictions around the world have closed schools and canceled public events in response to the virus. Haushalter said there is no need to do that at the moment in Shelby County. 

"The immediate risk to the general public in Shelby County is thought to be low, and there is no expected risk to school-age children at this time," the health department said in a news release Sunday afternoon. "But now is the time to prepare for the possibility of local community transmission of the virus."

Those steps include the recommendations for handwashing and avoiding people who are sick.

County, city adjust policies 

“Although this is a very serious environment, we don’t believe that there is a need to panic, and in fact there are things all of us can do to mitigate the various public health concerns,” the county mayor said.

He said Shelby County government has adjusted policies to make it easier for those who are sick to stay home and take care of themselves.

"And we would encourage other large employers to review their policies to help employees who are sick have the ability to stay at home," he said.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland also spoke at the news conference. “We’re taking this situation very seriously. I spoke with the governor last night and the commissioner of health, and I thank the state for their leadership. Last week, we sanitized all city facilities and will continue to do so on a daily basis until we get through this. In addition, we’ve asked all city employees to use extreme caution and given them the CDC guidance (on avoiding transmission of the virus)."

He said Memphis first responders, particularly police and fire, are prepared to take care of patients and stop the spread of the disease.

“The city stands ready to help the state and the county – those governments – in any way we can,” he said.

Strickland posted an additional message on Facebook. It reads in part:

"Today, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Shelby County. We’re monitoring the situation, and first responders stand ready to help as needed. Should you call 911, please let the dispatcher know you think you may be infected with the virus."

Strickland's message links to a health department web site on the virus. 

COVID-19: Coronavirus case detected in Tennessee: First patient is quarantined in Williamson County

Dr. Steve Threlkeld, co-director of the infection control program at Baptist Memorial Health Care, said the patient is doing well and in isolation at Baptist Memphis, the health care system's flagship facility on Walnut Grove in East Memphis.

The Commercial Appeal had heard an unconfirmed report of a coronavirus patient at a Baptist facility on Wednesday. On that day, local health officials and a Baptist representative would not substantiate it. Baptist referred questions on Wednesday to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, which did not respond to requests for comment.

At the Sunday news conference, officials said the coronavirus case at Baptist had been confirmed through a state lab test late Saturday. They would not confirm if the patient currently at Baptist was the same one that The Commercial Appeal had asked about on Wednesday. 

“There have been a number of false claims in various hospitals around the city that I have certainly heard," Threlkeld said. "It’s a little bit premature to release the details about this particular patient.”

A 200-mile drive for a test

Threlkeld thanked multiple staffers at Baptist and at the Health Department who have worked on the case.

“We even had one of our lab directors drive the sample, the specimens from this patient to Nashville on Friday afternoon so we could get timely results over the weekend,” he said.

Nashville is more than 200 miles from Memphis.

The Tennessee Department of Health's lab in Nashville is the only area lab that is currently performing the tests, Joan Carr, spokeswoman for the Shelby County Health Department, said Sunday afternoon. She didn't have the number of tests performed so far from Shelby County.

On Thursday, the Tennessee Department of Health announced that it had enough test materials to check 85 people for the virus and could depend on the federal government for overflow testing. Tennessee's population is about 6.8 million.

Health Commissioner Lisa Piercy said the state's testing supply was limited but should be "plenty for now," The Tennessean reported.

Piercey said the process of getting coronavirus test kits on the commercial market had been expedited, so the kits should be available for sale to hospitals soon.

Background on the virus

Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is a fast spreading virus that originated in Wuhan, China, but has since appeared in dozens of countries. As of Sunday morning the death toll in the U.S. climbed to at least 19 and more than 400 infections were reported.

Health officials say the overwhelming majority of people who contract the virus don't develop serious problems. However, certain groups of people are at risk: for instance, elderly people and others with underlying health problems. 

Among the most vulnerable people are those living in nursing homes. And those institutions often struggle to control infections, a recent USA TODAY report concluded. In Tennessee, 62 percent of the 316 nursing homes were cited in least one infection-control inspection in the last three years.

The World Health Organization on Sunday said five new countries reported their first coronavirus cases within the past 24 hours.The global number of reported cases of the virus has surpassed 100,000, according to the WHO.

What you should do to avoid infection

Threlkeld and other officials said that if you believe that you might have the virus, you should contact your doctor, the hospital or 911 emergency workers by phone ahead of time to give them a chance to take preparation steps. 

For instance, a patient who simply shows up at a doctor's waiting room or hospital emergency room without warning could spread the virus to other patients. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends taking preventative measures to decrease the likelihood of infection: 

Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

Avoid touching the face with unwashed hands.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Cough or sneeze into your elbow or use a tissue to cover it, and throw the tissue away.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Daniel Connolly is an investigative reporter for The Commercial Appeal and can be reached at 901-529-5296, daniel.connolly@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter at @DanielConnolly.