Health department talks flu season, COVID-19

JACKSON, Tenn. — With COVID-19 still impacting our area and flu season around the corner, what is Madison County doing to prepare?

The Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department is gearing up for flu season while still battling COVID-19.

Currently in the county, as of October 15, there have been 35,820 total COVID-19 cases overall. The department reports that 506 of these cases have led to a hospitalization, and 468 have resulted in a death.

“Right now, good news is Madison County is classified as having a low COVID-19 community level. There are three levels: low, medium, and high. We’re in the low level, which is good because we were at a high and medium level for many many months. So that is good news. Right now we’re not seeing a ton of COVID-19 cases,” said Mallory Cooke, the Public Information Office for the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department.

The health department recommends getting vaccinated for the flu and COVID-19 to be fully protected from the viruses. They are now giving out the new COVID-19 vaccine booster.

This will protect individuals from the newer omicron variant. With 147,470 vaccines handed out in Madison County, 98% of those people who have been vaccinated have received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, 54% have been fully vaccinated by receiving their second dose, and 29% have received a booster shot.

“These new boosters are great because they specifically fight omicron variants,” Cooke said.

The health department recommends getting tested for COVID-19 or flu if you’re experiencing any symptoms. In the last 14 days, Madison County has averaged 37 tests a day. In the last seven days the average percent of positive cases out of these tests was 23%.

“We are heading into the winter months. Flu, RSV, COVID, all of those things are things that could come back up this winter. So we just encourage people to make sure they’re getting their COVID-19 vaccines, and if you develop symptoms, home tests are now readily available get tested if you do develop symptoms,” Cooke said.

Flu season is approaching as well. The health department says it is okay to receive a flu vaccine and COVID-19 vaccine in the same visit.

If you have any questions about COVID-19 or the flu, visit or call the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department. They can be reached online or by calling (731) 423-3020.

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