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COVID-19 Cases are Surging; Hospitals at Capacity; Vaccines Bring Hope

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NASHVILLE (December 28) — As 2020 draws to a close, it seems like an appropriate time to reflect on the past year, the present moment and look to the future. This time last year, it had been 100 years since a pandemic shook the foundations of our way of life.
It is estimated that the 1918 Influenza Pandemic infected about 500 million people or one-third of the world’s population. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide with about 675,000 occurring in the United States. The loss of life was staggering partly because there was no vaccine. Flu vaccines didn’t exist until 1942.
A great debt is owed to doctors, nurses, scientists and all healthcare workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight. So many have done so much to save lives and work towards an end to this pandemic.
The good news is Henry County Medical Center (HCMC), Baptist Memorial Hospital-Carroll County, and Jackson-Madison County General Hospital (JMCGH) received shipments between December 18-23 of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines and are in the process of inoculating healthcare workers.
“This is a great day for our hospital and for our community,” said Baptist Carroll County CEO and Administrator Susan Breeden. “Our team has worked tirelessly during the past nine months, caring for COVID patients. They have been these patients’ families, and they have given so much of themselves, not just as clinical professionals, but as human beings. I think I speak for all of them when I say we are relieved to see the beginning of the end of this pandemic.”
Savannah Pratt, student pharmacist, received the Moderna vaccine on Wednesday, December 23 at Henry County Medical Center.
Pratt said, “This vaccine is hopefully the beginning of the end of this pandemic. We are looking at this as our first sign of hope. I am so thankful for all of the healthcare workers who are doing their best to help every patient who comes through our doors.”
We are closer than we’ve ever been; but the fight is not over. Healthcare workers are asking you to not gather for the new year holiday, please wear a face covering and wash your hands often. Please help keep infection rates down until the vaccines can be more widely distributed. It takes months to inoculate millions of people.
According to the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) on Monday, Carroll County reported 2,622 total cases (+183 since last week), 50 dead (+4 since last week), 56 hospitalized (+0 since last week), 305 active cases and 2,267 inactive/recovered. Over the last seven days in Carroll County, the average percent positive was 23.8 percent. During the last 14 days the county averaged 27.7 new cases per day; 14 days prior the average was 32.1. Carroll County has not implemented a mask mandate in 2020.
Henry County reported 2,269 total cases (+130 since last week), 34 dead (+2 since last week), 54 hospitalized (+4 since last week), 234 active cases and 2,001 inactive/recovered. Over the last seven days, Henry County had an average of 28.4 percent positive cases. During the last 14 days the county averaged 21.9 new cases per day; 14 days prior the average was 26.4. Henry County Mayor John Penn Ridgeway extended the county’s mask mandate after taking office.

Weakley County reported 3,003 total cases (+186 since last week), 42 dead (+2 since last week), 48 hospitalized (+1 since last week), 331 active and 2,630 inactive/recovered. Over the last seven days, Weakley County had an average of 21.7 percent positive cases. During the last 14 days, the county averaged 32.6 new cases per day; 14 days prior the average was 23.5. On Monday, Weakley County Mayor Jake Bynum extended the county’s mask mandate until 11:59 p.m. on February 27, 2021.
Tennessee reported 567,792 total cases, 6,588 dead, 2,983 hospitalized and 483,525 inactive/recovered. According to the TDH, statewide hospital capacity is currently: available floor beds: 17 percent; available ICU beds: 14 percent; available adult ventilators 71 percent; available airborne infection isolation rooms: 37 percent.
According to Census.gov, the United States’ population is approximately 330,754,336 people; to date 332,246 have died from COVID-19 in the United States. That is approximately 1 in 1,000 people.
The United States currently has 19,055,869 total cases of COVID-19. According to the CDC, in the last seven days, 1,265,500 new cases were reported in the states and 15,423 more people died; during the week of Christmas.
Globally, 79,673,754 total cases with 1,761,381 dead, according to the World Health Organization.

Symptoms
COVID-19 affects different people in different ways. Infected people have had a wide range of symptoms reported – from mild symptoms to severe illness.
Symptoms may appear 1-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19: Fever or chills; Cough; Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; Fatigue; Muscle or body aches; Headache; New loss of taste or smell; Sore throat; Congestion or runny nose; Nausea or vomiting; and/or Diarrhea.

How Do mRNA Vaccines Work?
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are “messenger RNA” vaccines. These COVID-19 vaccines work by giving your body the recipe to make the spike protein that is on the outside of the coronavirus. When your body sees that protein, it will produce protective antibodies to it. Later, if the body sees the real virus, it will remember seeing that protein and destroy the virus before it has a chance to make you sick. It is not possible to get COVID-19 from the vaccine. The vaccine does not contain the virus.
For more information, visit https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov.html.