Coronavirus in Memphis: 3 Shelby County residents died due to COVID-19, health department says

Memphis Commercial Appeal

This story was last updated: Tuesday, March 31 at 2:44 p.m.

By the numbers: Statewide cases of coronavirus in Tennessee reached 2,239 Tuesday afternoon, up from 1,834 a day earlier. There have been 23 deaths and 175 hospitalizations, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

The Tennessee Department of Health reported 428 cases of COVID-19 in Shelby County as of Tuesday afternoon. The Shelby County Health Department reported three fatalities, as of Tuesday morning. The latest number of Monday the county health department reported 379 cases.

Watch Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee give a COVID-19 update:

Here are the latest updates from around the Memphis area:

Poplar Healthcare processes COVID-19 tests

Memphis-based Poplar Healthcare is now processing COVID-19 tests in its Memphis laboratory.

They routinely provide results in 24 to 48 hours after receiving the testing sample, according to a news release.

“As coronavirus spreads across the nation at an alarming rate, Poplar Healthcare is well situated to help control the outbreak by providing patients and providers access to COVID-19 testing,” said Shawn Kinsey, medical director.

Healthcare providers and institutions interested in obtaining access to the test can contact Poplar Healthcare at 901-526-1912 or email covid19@poplarhealthcare.com.

State urges use of their unemployment app

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce is urging Tennesseans who are filing for unemployment to take advantage of their app, which is available in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play store.

The use of the smartphone app allows applicants to easily re-file their weekly claim for unemployment benefits and it lessens the amount of traffic on the Jobs4TN website, which has been inundated with an unprecedented amount of unemployment claims.

The state said the entire re-certification process for unemployment on the app should take between five and 10 minutes to complete.

To find the unemployment app, smartphone users can type "Jobs4TN" in their preferred online app store. An instructional video explaining app usage is also available online.

Two more COVID-19 deaths reported in Shelby County

Two more Shelby County residents have died due to COVID-19, the Shelby County Health Department said. The additional deaths bring Shelby County's COVID-19 fatality count to three.

The health department cannot confirm the identities of those who have died from CVOID-19 for privacy reasons. It's not known if the death of Second Presbyterian Church pastor Timothy Russell is one of the three reported deaths.

The agency reported the deaths Tuesday morning.

Second Presbyterian church reports clergy death due to COVID-19

One of the largest congregations in East Memphis reported one of their clergy died due to COVID-19.

Both an email from Second Presbyterian obtained by the Commercial Appeal and a social media post from Dean Weaver, an evangelical Presbyterian pastor based in Pittsburgh, confirmed Pastor Timothy Russell died of complications from COVID-19.

Weaver and Russell served together on the Revelation 7:9 Task Force, a group of Evangelical Presbyterian pastors.

In an email sent late Monday, Senior Pastor George Robertson said Russell "took a sudden turn for the worse this evening."

According to Second Presbyterian's website, Russell was a "Pastor to Middle Adults."

Tuesday, a Facebook post from the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary said that Russell's ministry "played a major role in the lives of many in RP circles and in the greater kingdom of Christ."

Over the weekend, the Shelby County Health Department reported the first county fatality of COVID-19. It was not immediately clear if Russell was the first COVID-19 death in the county. By Tuesday morning, the count of fatalities had risen to three.

Reported COVID-19 cases in Shelby County top 400

According to numbers updated daily by the City of Memphis, Shelby County reported 26 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of reported cases to 405 for the area.

Statewide, the count of reported COVID-19 cases remains at 1,834 according to the latest state numbers reported Monday afternoon. Additional reported cases of COVID-19 in Tennessee will be reported at 2 p.m. during the state health department's daily press conference.

Tuesday's numbers mark the second consecutive day where new reported cases of COVID-19 number less than 30.

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

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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