Dr. Denise Dingle Appointed County Medical Examiner (View video of county commission meeting here)

August 24, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Dr. Denise Dingle is the new DeKalb County Medical Examiner.

She has been appointed by County Mayor Tim Stribling to take over the position which was held for many years by Dr. J.C. Wall, who passed away recently.

“Dr. J.C. Wall passed away July 31. He was the DeKalb County Medical Examiner for years but he was also my friend and neighbor. He was a friend to a lot of people. We send our condolences to his wife Sandra and Dr. Wall’s family. I ask that you continue to lift them up in prayer,” said Stribling during Monday night’s monthly county commission meeting.

The term of Medical Examiner is for five years through August 23, 2026. Dr. Dingle has agreed to accept the position. The county commission Monday night confirmed the appointment.

August 23, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

COVID is surging again in DeKalb County!

DeKalb County had 212 active COVID-19 cases Monday, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. That’s 119 more than 10 days ago on Friday, August 13. Sixteen new cases were recorded in DeKalb County on Monday alone.

At last report a total of 7,370 people (35.9%) have received at least one dose of COVID vaccine and 6,204 (30.5%) are fully vaccinated in DeKalb County.

There have been 57 deaths in DeKalb County since the pandemic began in March 2020 and 58 have been hospitalized.

Over the last seven days, (August 16 – 22) DeKalb County had a case count of 148 for a daily case rate of 103.2 per 100,000 residents.

For the most recent 14 days, (August 9-22) DeKalb County’s case count was 224 for a daily case rate of 78.1 per 100,000 residents.

For the 14 days prior (July 26 to August 8), the case count was 67 for a daily case rate of 23.4 per 100, 000 residents.

From March 5, 2020 to August 22, 2021, DeKalb County has had a total of 3,187 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 for a daily case rate of 29.1 per 100,000 residents.

Over the last 7 days DeKalb County has averaged 59.6 tests per day (290.7 tests per 100,000 residents) and over the last 7 days the average percent positive was 19.4 %.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Monday issued full authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for individuals age 16 and up. The vaccine remains under emergency use authorization (EUA) for those age 12-15 years and for the administration of the third dose option for individuals who are moderately or severely immunocompromised.

The full licensed approval from the FDA is given after more than 9 months of data review and continued case study. The Pfizer vaccine has been available in Tennessee since December 2020 with approximately 3.4 million Pfizer doses administered to date.

The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) wants to remind Tennesseans the COVID-19 vaccines are our best defense in preventing the continued spread of the virus. Vaccination rates across the state have increased over the last month as the state experiences a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the highly contagious Delta variant. In particular, younger Tennesseans are choosing to receive the vaccine with the highest rate of increases in the 12-15 age group and the 16-20 age group.

Additional guidance from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is expected later this week, and the department encourages providers to review that guidance once released. TDH will adhere to ACIP guidance regarding the administration of the vaccine. In addition, we are taking the necessary steps at our county health departments in anticipation of continued demand.

Visit www.Vaccines.gov to find a vaccine site offering the Pfizer vaccine. In addition, local health departments across the state will be administering the COVID-19 vaccine with no appointment necessary.

Individuals seeking more information on the COVID-19 vaccines can visit covid19.tn.gov or www.vaccines.gov to schedule an appointment with a local vaccine provider.

August 23, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

The new fiscal year has started off strong in terms of local option sales tax collections in DeKalb County.

According to the Tennessee Department of Revenue, DeKalb County took in $194,418 in local option sales taxes for July, 2021 which is up from $150,968 for July, 2020.

Collections were also up in three of the four towns in July.

In Smithville, July, 2021 local option sales taxes totaled $335,950 compared to $329,016 for July 2020. Collections for Liberty increased from $6,110 in July 2020 to $8,492 in July, 2021. Dowelltown took in $2,968 in July, 2021, an increase from $1,913 in July, 2020. Alexandria saw a slight decrease from $28,437 in July, 2020 to $27,498 in July, 2021.

Net Collections with the county and cities combined showed a jump in local option sales tax collections in July 2021 to $569,329, up from $516,447 in July, 2020.

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