There was some good news on the COVID front locally last week as case counts seemed to have declined slightly. Case numbers are still high, but the overall numbers decreased over the previous week. The case numbers in the DeKalb County School System also has reported a decrease in active cases.
On September 10, DeKalb Schools reported 39 active cases district wide, with 168 under quarantine. That’s down from 92 active cases the same time last week, with 271 quarantined students. Staff cases are also down with 15 absent due to positive cases or quarantine. School numbers show that there are 17 positive students at DCHS, 13 at DMS, five at NES, four at SES, and zero cases at DWS.
County case numbers have also seen a slight decrease over the previous week. As of September 10 numbers, there are 378 positive cases in DeKalb, with 3,726 total cases and 3,348 recovered. That’s down from 413 cases the previous Friday. The death count remained at 59, though hospitalizations went up to 100.
While case counts may have declined slightly in DeKalb, other counties are still reporting big increases.
Warren County reported 839 active cases on September 10, with 7,279 total cases and 6,440 recovered. That’s up from 800 the same time last week. Their death count has risen to 94, with 131 hospitalized.
Cannon County also had an increase, with 201 active cases, up from 184 the previous week. They report 2,245 total cases with 2,224 recovered. Their deaths and hospitalizations also increased, with 36 deaths and 70 hospitalized.
Wilson County only decreased by four cases last week while deaths and hospitalizations increased. They are reporting 1,693 active cases, with 24,238 total cases and 22,545 recovered. They had 289 deaths, up from 275, and 604 hospitalized, up from 589.
In Putnam County cases were up 1,169 from 1,066 the previous week. They report 14,584 total cases with 13,415 recovered. Their deaths increased to 190 and hospitalizations jumped to 434.
White County is being hit especially hard. They report 532 active cases, up from 379 last week. They have 4,752 total cases with 4,220 recovered. Their deaths jumped to 82, while hospitalizations increased to 183.
Rutherford County reported 4,305 active cases, up from 4,039. They have 54,973 total cases with 50,668 recovered. There have now been 478 COVID deaths in that county, with hospitalizations up to 1,055.
Smith County reports 295 active cases, down from 358 last week. They report 3,665 total cases and 3,370 recovered. Deaths and hospitalizations increased in Smith County. There are 42 deaths reported and 95 hospitalized.
Officials say that the virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to be spread through person-to-person contact, mainly through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby, or be inhaled into the lungs. Spreading the virus is more likely to occur when people are in close contact with one another (within about six feet for 15 minutes or more).
Health officials say that wearing a mask does slow the spread. They also help keep people who may have the virus, and do not know it, from transmitting it to others. Wear masks in public settings when around people not living in your household, and particularly where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stations.
With the rise of case numbers and the more contagious Delta variant spreading, it is more important than ever that people get vaccinated as soon as possible. The vaccine is the best defense against COVID-19 and has proven effective at protecting against all forms of the virus including the Delta variant.
Even those who previously believed themselves to be at a lower risk of severe illness from COVID-19 should exercise caution until they are fully vaccinated. Getting vaccinated and exercising caution in public activities helps protect you and those around you.
