Tennessee Gears Up To Prevent And Treat Potential Cases Of COVID-19

Gov. Bill Lee has formed a task force to coordinate efforts to prevent and treat COVID-19.

In a news release Wednesday, Lee said the group will execute and develop “strong precautionary measures, resource allocation, and emergency response plans.”

“As confirmed cases of the coronavirus spread across the country, it is important that Tennessee remains prepared,” Lee said. “To help us be even better prepared, this group of experts will work closely with me and my administration, along with local, state, and federal agencies as we continue to monitor any potential developments.”

The task force is composed by:

• Dr. Lisa Piercey, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Health
• Dr. Penny Schwinn, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Education
• Dr. Jonathan Moorman, Infectious Disease Division Chief, East TN State University
• Dr. Martha Buchanan, Director, Knox County Metro Health Dept.
• Mike Krause, Executive Director, TN Higher Education Commission
• Bradley Jackson, President and CEO, TN Chamber of Commerce
• Dr. Tom Talbot, Chief Hospital Epidemiologist, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Dr. Jonathan Perlin, Chief Medical Officer, HCA
• Dr. Wendy Long, President and CEO, TN Hospital Association
• Dr. Sara Cross, Infectious Disease Chief, Regional One Health
• Holly Sullivan, Director of Worldwide Economic Development, Amazon
• Doug Kreulen, Chief Executive Officer, Nashville International Airport
• Jeff Aiken, President, TN Farm Bureau
• David Lusk, Director, FedEx Global Security Operations Center
• Rebecca Kelly, State Director, AARP Tennessee

So far there has not been a case of the disease confirmed in Tennessee. But health officials say it’s just a matter of time.

The Tennessee Department of Health has been talking to lawmakers and others about their prevention efforts.

But, Piercey told reporters Wednesday the state will eventually have to take action to mitigate the harm caused by the disease.

“You know I’d love to say that I hope it never comes to Tennessee,” Piercey said. “But the way the disease it’s traveling, the CDC has advised every state that you are likely to have a case at some point.”

So far, 13 states have reported cases of COVID-19, including North Carolina and Georgia.

Piercey said the department is working to create a 1-800 phone line to answer people’s questions and fighting disinformation regarding the disease.

One lawmaker, Gallatin Sen. Ferrell Haile, compared the coronavirus disease to the flu.

“This is not a lot of different than what we experience with the flu,” Haile said Wednesday in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. “And while we don’t have those numbers on fatality yet, there’s not a lot of difference yet it appears at this time.”

Piercey said that clinically the coronavirus disease and the flu share similarities — such as symptoms and how it spreads.

However, she said there are uncertainties about its “virulence and how contagious it is as compared to influenza.”

She said that in terms of mortality, it’s hard to predict because of the numbers so far in the United States. She cited at study coming out of China that said that out of 45,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 81% had mild to moderate symptoms and it didn’t require hospitalizations.

“A lot of people have heard the message, ‘If you get this there’s nothing you can do and we are all going to die,'” Piercey said. “And, let’s just be frank, that’s a mainstream message right now perpetuated by social media and other venues.”