MEMPHIS, Tenn.– Coronavirus cases are on the rise across the country and Shelby County is averaging more cases than it has seen in months.
Like many cities nationwide, Memphis is dealing with another wave of the coronavirus.
Despite the exhaustion, Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Manoj Jain feels he understands what’s at stake.
“I know people are frustrated about this, but really we have to be thinking about how we protect those who are vulnerable in our population,” Jain said.
Over the last seven days, Shelby County is averaging 602 reported coronavirus cases a day. This is the most since February. Another trend health leaders are noticing is the increase in breakthrough infections, which Dr. Jain said was expected.
“We know that the vaccine works. It works in preventing deaths and preventing hospitalizations. It doesn’t work well in preventing cases that are mild or moderate,” he said.
Another interesting stat from the Shelby County Health Department is over the last two weeks, nearly 1,000 children have tested positive for COVID-19.
With cases ticking up, Dr. Jain recommends wearing a mask when you’re unable to social distance along with getting vaccinated and boosted.
“We know that second booster are clearly helpful. We know that second booster helps prevent the number of cases that occur. We’ve seen it in other countries, we’ve seen it in our data in our own county,” he said.