May 7, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
Drive through COVID-19 assessment days are being reduced from five to three days a week at the DeKalb County Health Department starting next week, May 11.
The National Guard will ONLY be testing on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9am-3pm. There will be no testing at the DeKalb County Health Department on Tuesdays and Thursdays until further notice starting the week of May 11.
The health department has reuseable face masks for anyone needing them but please call in advance at 615-597-7599 to let them know how many people in your immediate family need a mask. Upon your arrival the health department staff will bring the masks to your car. Please do not come inside the health department to get your mask for the protection of the public and staff.
Anyone, with or without COVID-19 symptoms who has concerns, is invited to receive testing for COVID-19. This testing will be provided at no cost to participants, and those who come for testing can remain in their vehicles throughout the process of collecting their samples.
Nurses and/or National Guard medics will collect nasal swabs from those who want to be tested, and test results may be available within 72 hours after the samples arrive at the lab, depending on lab volume.
Tennessee’s Coronavirus Public Information Lines are open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., CDT daily at 833-556-2476 or 877-857-2945.
DeKalb County’s number of confirmed COVID-19 cases remains at 25.
As of Thursday, May 7, the Tennessee Department of Health reported that 760 people had been tested with 735 negative results and 25 positive. There have been no deaths in DeKalb County from the virus and 15 of the 25 persons tested positive have recovered.
At 25 cases, DeKalb County ranks 4th highest in the Upper Cumberland region behind Putnam with 162, Cumberland 85, and Macon 54, Other counties in the region with COVID-19 cases are Smith 23,White 15, Cannon 12, Overton 10, Warren 10, Jackson 7, Clay 6, Fentress 5, Van Buren 2, and Pickett 0.