Health commissioner: Fourth COVID surge posts increase in West Tennessee, rest of state to follow
Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey says the reported surge of COVID cases was not unexpected due to the number of sick children of neighboring Arkansas and Missouri and the anticipated spread.
Piercey reported the highest concentration of cases involving the highly contagious delta variant is currently in West Tennessee but cases are expected to rise statewide in the coming weeks.
The commissioner also explained that the bed space issue at the state’s pediatric hospitals is not directly related to the spread of the COVID delta variant.
Piercey says some facilities are full because of a resurgence in the RSV sickness—a respiratory condition normally seen in the dead of winter. She said the other factor is a lack of workers that has caused some children’s hospitals to reduce their patient loads.
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