COVID-19 continues to strain local healthcare system

JACKSON, Tenn. — As doses of the COVID-19 vaccine make their way to West Tennessee, the spread of the disease continues to worsen.

Now, it’s causing an unprecedented strain on our healthcare system.

Jackson-Madison County General Hospital is currently using all of their ventilators and more, according to Amy Garner with West Tennessee Healthcare.

“We’ve ordered more ventilators and are asking for more from the state,” she said.

And finding one?

“I spent hours last night in contact between the state and EMA trying to find ventilators to send down here,” said Wayne Arnold, the regional hospital coordinator for the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department.

Garner says they currently they have 117 COVID-positive patients. That’s 21% of the overall census at the hospital. And others in the system aren’t faring any better. Garner said roughly half of Dyersburg’s patients are also COVID-positive.

“Please, please help us get a handle on this because we can only do so much,” Garner said.

The best way to help?

“Is to not get it in the first place,” said Dr. Bethany Lawrence, with West Tennessee Healthcare.

But it looks like that isn’t happening. According to Covid Act Now data, Tennessee has the highest infection rate in the country. Health officials think it’s going to get worse.

“I don’t think we’ve seen that highest number yet,” said Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department Regional Director Kim Tedford.

We’re now three weeks after Thanksgiving, with Madison County consistently clocking over 100 new cases a day. Officials are begging you to be vigilant and to not gather with people outside your household even during the holidays.

“It’s a personal responsibility. There’s not a government regulation out there that can do anything about it. We can tell you what to do all day long. Until you exercise that personal responsibility, stay away from each other, stop spreading it, act like you’ve got a little common sense, that’s the only way we’re going to get a grip on it,” Arnold said.

Jackson-Madison County Schools currently have more than 500 people in isolation or quarantine. School officials say they will continue hybrid learning after the New Year.