Daily reported COVID-19 cases in Shelby County reaches “zero” for the first time in 10 months

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - For the first time in nearly a year, there were no new cases of COVID-19 reported to the Shelby County Health Department within the past 24 hours.

“We’re going to enjoy the fact that that number was zero today,” said Shelby County Health Director, Dr. Michelle Taylor.

Dr. Taylor says a number like “zero” isn’t so black and white.

”It is a result of not as many people going to get tested at a provider who’s a mandatory reporter and more people doing at home tests and possibly not reporting it. But we know that that wouldn’t be the whole explanation of a zero,” Dr. Taylor said.

Dr. Taylor says the number may also be attributed to less virus in the community and less community transmission.

As of Wednesday, 60% of people in Shelby County have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 53% of people in the county are fully vaccinated.

Infectious Disease Expert, Dr. Stephen Threlkeld says the numbers are encouraging.

However, he wants to remind everyone that the pandemic is not over, and to take necessary precautions to protect yourself and others.

“It’s not something that even now as things are better that we should say, I don’t care if I get the virus, it’s just a cold. We really aren’t anywhere near that sort of judgment about this virus, and we need to be careful about somebody being just too nonchalant about it, even as it’s getting better,” Dr. Threlkeld said.

According the SCHD, there were three other times zero cases have been reported since the start of the pandemic:

• 3/17/2020: The last day zero cases were reported in the first wave of the virus
• 6/28/2020: Zero cases reported between the first and second wave of the virus
• 6/28/2021: Zero reported cases between the third and fourth wave of the virus

For more information about COVID-19 in Shelby County and information about vaccinations, click here.

Copyright 2022 WMC. All rights reserved.

Click here to sign up for our newsletter!

Click here to report a spelling or grammar error. Please include the headline.