Newly opened vaccine site in Whitehaven seeks to close racial gap for Shelby County vaccinations
Data released this week showed among those 75 and older in Shelby County, more than four times as many Whites have been vaccinated compared to Blacks. Author: Brad Broders Updated: 6:21 PM CST February 5, 2021
MEMPHIS, Tenn. I feel good, Johnson Matthews said.
There s fresh relief for the 80-year-old, who on Friday became one of the first COVID-19 vaccine recipients at a newly opened Whitehaven site.
Last week, Matthews said he spent most of his day in line at the Pipkin Building, only to be turned away ten cars out.
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Lakeland resident Richard DeFreese has had asthma since childhood. Later in life, he also developed a chronic lung disease commonly known as COPD.
“I can’t run 30 feet. If I do, I’m bent over sucking in air,” says the 75-year-old retiree. “So that’s what it does, it just incapacitates your lungs.”
That’s why he worried so much about catching the coronavirus. But, despite taking advisable precautions, DeFreese and his wife contracted the virus earlier this month.
Given his medical conditions, DeFreese found himself in the hospital the same day he tested positive. But not for a stay. Rather, to receive an experimental treatment that has shown promise as a first line of defense to help prevent those with mild to moderate symptoms from developing more severe ones.
Early studies suggest the monoclonal antibody infusions can reduce COVID-19 hospitalizations by up to 70%. Author: Jalyn Souchek Updated: 5:14 PM CST January 13, 2021
MEMPHIS, Tennessee A new treatment center in the Mid-South is helping to keep patients with COVID-19, that are considered high-risk, from becoming very sick and ending up in the ICU.
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital opened what s called a monoclonal antibody infusion center last month.
Monoclonal antibodies are lab-made proteins that mimic the immune system to fight off viruses and are said to help people recover much faster. It was also one of the treatments President Donald Trump received after testing positive with COVID-19.
Mid-South leaders encourage people to be cautious and get vaccine, especially Black community
Local leaders plead for precautions this holiday season By Arianna Poindexter | December 18, 2020 at 6:27 PM CST - Updated January 12 at 12:20 PM
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Local leaders are urging people to take precautions ahead of the Christmas holiday amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“The best Christmas gift we can give to each other, the best holiday gift we can give to each other is to make it to 2021,” Tennessee Sen. Raumesh Akbari said.
Sen. Akbari was one of several leaders in the civil, faith, and healthcare community on a virtual call Friday hosted by Mississippi Boulevard Pastor, J. Lawrence Turner.