MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis and Shelby County could move to Phase 2 of the Back to Business Plan on Monday, but an increase in hospitalizations is causing concern.
City of Memphis Chief Operating Officer Doug McGowen said Friday that the city was in Day 11 of the plan’s Phase 1 period, which will last “at least 14 days.”
The city/county COVID-19 task force will be watching data on new cases over the weekend before moving to Phase 2.
The task force is watching a slow increase in the number of local hospitalizations.
“When there is an illness that’s getting a lot of notoriety, like COVID, that there’s a high suspicion or high-index of suspicion for that illness when someone presents to the emergency room,” Health Department Director Dr. Alisa Haushalter said.
Dr. Haushalter said she does not contribute the rise in hospitalizations to the recent reopening of some businesses.
“We also want to tease out whether a lot of those admissions are related to the nursing home outbreaks or not,” Haushalter said.
So far, there have been outbreaks at 15 health care facilities in Shelby County. Officials said a majority of the county’s 82 COVID-19 related deaths are linked to nursing home settings.
Dr. Haushalter said the health department is working with those facilities to do an assessment of their infection control protocols.
“We anticipate this will continue to be a struggle for us locally for some weeks to come if not longer,” she said.
McGowen said the data looks “promising” so far, but he encouraged the public to continue following social distancing protocol before local leaders declare it is safe to move to the next phase.
McGowen said the area’s alternative care facility for COVID patients at 495 Union Ave. would be complete by midnight Friday, adding another 400 beds to the area’s hospital capacity, if needed. McGowen said local hospitals have necessary capacity.