CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Although events around town are still getting canceled with the aim of reducing active COVID-19 cases, all signs are pointing to a decrease in the spread of the virus in Montgomery County, and 62% of adults are fully vaccinated.
Less than a month ago, Tennova Healthcare-Clarksville was reporting treating the highest number of COVID-19 patients it had seen since the beginning of the pandemic, and local case rates exceeded the peaks previously seen in December and January of 2020.
Cases falling
In a news release sent out Wednesday morning, Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts said that canceling Fright on Franklin was a way to see that more events aren’t canceled down the road.
“We’re beginning to see a downward trend in cases for Clarksville-Montgomery County, and to ensure we protect our ability to hold in-person events in the future, we felt that canceling Fright on Franklin was an additional measure that needed to be taken,” Pitts said.
According to the data, local case rates are a third of what they were a month ago.
As of Oct. 5, there were 947 active COVID-19 cases according to the Clarksville-Montgomery County COVID-19 Dashboard.
Just a month ago, on Sept. 6, there were 2,798 active cases in the area, the dashboard said.
Additionally, according to the CDC COVID-19 Data Tracker, case rates over the last seven days have decreased by 28%.
At Tennova, the hospital’s caseload has also decreased. As of Oct. 6, there were 42 hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment, according to the dashboard posted to Tennova’s Facebook page. A little less than a month ago, 74 were hospitalized for COVID-19.
Cases are also going down at Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools. As of Oct. 5, there are 124 active student cases, and 1,062 students excluded from attendance for COVID-19 reasons, according to the district’s self-reported COVID-19 dashboard.
For comparison, on Sept. 6, there were 760 active student cases and 3,666 students excluded. For employees a month ago, there were 114 active cases and 203 employees on COVID-19 related leave.
Vaccination rates
Joey Smith, director of the Montgomery County Health Department, said this decrease is likely the result of several interventions.
“More people getting vaccinated and the collective impact of thousands of people using good hygienic practices,” Smith told Clarksville Now.
According to the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker, 67.5% of the eligible population in Montgomery County, meaning those 12 and older, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 59% of those 12 and older are fully vaccinated.
In the adult population, meaning those who are 18 or older, over 70% of individuals in Montgomery County have received the first dose, and 62% are fully vaccinated.
Of the population 65 and older, 91.7% have received one dose, and 84.8% are fully vaccinated.
“Evidence shows that actions such as staying home when we’re sick, washing our hands, covering our sneeze sand cough, wearing masks indoors are things we can do to help reduce the spread of disease,” Smith said, adding that although the data is looking good, he is cautiously optimistic.
“But there are a couple of measures that remind me that our work isn’t finished. Since Jan. 1, we’ve had 280 hospitalized and 196 deaths due to COVID-19,” Smith said.
Additional and booster shots
In Montgomery County, an additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is already available to those 18 and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised anywhere that offers the vaccine.
The booster shots, which are different from the additional shot, are also now available to individuals six months after their second dose.
To see where you can get the booster and additional vaccines, visit www.vaccines.gov/search or by call 1-800-232-0233. For more information on the vaccine, go to https://vaccinate.tn.gov/.