September 30, 2021
By: Dwayne Page
The number of COVID cases in DeKalb County and across the Upper Cumberland Region is on the decline.
According to the Tennessee Department Health, DeKalb County had 137 active COVID 19 cases on Wednesday, September 29 with 11 new cases.
There have been 63 deaths in DeKalb County since the pandemic began in March 2020 and 103 have been hospitalized.
At last report a total of 8,354 people (40.72%) have received at least one dose of COVID vaccine and 7,018 (33.32%) are fully vaccinated in DeKalb County.
“Fortunately, COVID cases have drastically decreased across the region over the past fourteen days. The number of “active” cases are more than half what they were just a month ago. Vaccination rates continue to increase slightly, however, the majority of the Upper Cumberland counties are still under 50% of their population being fully vaccinated,” said Kim England, Regional Resource Coordinator for the Upper Cumberland Development District
Over the last seven days, (September 22-28) DeKalb County had a case count of 76 for a daily case rate of 53 per 100,000 residents.
For the most recent 14 days, (September 15-28) DeKalb County’s case count was 166 for a daily case rate of 57.9 per 100,000 residents.
For the 14 days prior (September 1- 14), the case count was 381 for a daily case rate of 132.8 per 100, 000 residents.
From March 5, 2020 to September 28, 2021, DeKalb County has had a total of 4,038 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 for a daily case rate of 34.5 per 100,000 residents.
Over the last 7 days the average percent positive was 18.7%.
The Tennessee Department of Health began offering ( Pfizer ) booster doses of COVID vaccine to certain populations on Friday, Sept. 24, A single dose booster of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine can be administered for individuals who met these criteria:
• People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series,
• People aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series,
• People aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks, and
• People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks. More information on the CDC’s recommendation for a booster dose is available online.
Local health departments across the state will be administering the booster dose. Information on appointment availability can be found at https://covid19.tn.gov/covid-19-vaccines/availability/. Appointments are not required.