Why Tennessee's big cities could see omicron wave recede first

Welcome back to the Coronavirus Watch newsletter. It’s digital producer Ray Padilla giving you the latest on the COVID-19 pandemic in West Tennessee.

Last week, Tennessee Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey reported a plateau in coronavirus infections, saying the virus was flattening and even declining in “essentially all” metropolitan areas.

This week, the state of Tennessee reported the omicron variant is still spreading but appears to be gradually losing momentum.

In Memphis and Nashville, COVID-19 infections fell sharply within the last week and state leaders project the omicron wave will burn out there first.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top coronavirus official to the Biden administration, said he was “as confident as you can be” that most states will have peaked by mid-February. In a “base case” scenario, Fauci said, infections will drop to the point that they “don’t disrupt society.”

While the drop in infections will hopefully come soon, Tennessee Department of Health said it “must follow” federal instructions requiring it to ensure nursing homes comply with the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate recently upheld by the Supreme Court.

However, the health department is not holding itself to the same standard as it hasn’t required its department members to get a vaccine by the deadline.

One official said department employees were instructed "not to worry" about complying with the mandate, and another official said health care workers received no instructions about the mandate at all, our Brett Kelman reports in his story for subscribers.

The Biden administration's vaccine mandate applies to health care workers at hospitals, nursing homes or any other facility that participates in the Medicare or Medicaid programs. The Department of Health runs a statewide network of primary-care clinics and other health providers that participate in TennCare, the state’s Medicaid program.

Vaccination information

COVID-19 vaccines are now widely available to all Tennesseans 5 years old and up. No appointments are necessary. Walk-in options are available at all health departments, and you can also make an appointment if you prefer.

The Food and Drug Administration has authorized vaccine booster shots for people 12 years old and up.

For all vaccine information, eligibility, and to find vaccine sites in your area, visit the Tennessee Department of Health website.

Coronavirus by the numbers

Shelby County (as of Thursday):

15,623: Active cases

2,885: Total deaths

551,610: Fully vaccinated

Madison County (as of Jan. 22):

3,693: Active cases

374: Total deaths

91,35: Fully vaccinated (as of Wednesday)

Tennessee (as of Jan. 22):

206,176: Active cases

22,151: Total deaths

2,226,662: Fully vaccinated (as of Wednesday)

Note: Tennessee Department of Health no longer publishes virus statistics daily.

This has been Ray Padilla with your weekly update on COVID-19 news in West Tennessee. You can reach me by email at raymond.padilla@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter at @Ray_Padilla_.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Coronavirus Watch: Memphis, Nashville see COVID-19 cases decline