MOUNT VERNON – In the midst of the frustration and confusing onslaught of information, it can be difficult to stay vigilant about preventing the transmission of COVID-19. But Knox Public Health wants people to know it’s still important, especially with the recent surge in cases and ongoing evidence of community spread.
Julie Miller, Knox Public Health commissioner, recently spoke to the public about the situation during a Facebook Live event.
“I hope you understand that we at Knox Public Health are as tired and as frustrated and as sick of this whole situation as you are,” Miller said at the start of the meeting. Still, she said, it’s important for community members to “hang in there.”
“We can’t just think about ourselves; we need to think about everybody else that we may be hurting if, in fact, we’re positive,” she said.
As of Thursday, Knox County had a total of 1,047 positive cases since the start of the pandemic, with 306 currently active, Miller said. They are also currently monitoring 565 close contacts to the positive cases. The majority of the total cases— approximately 540— have been reported since Nov. 1.
“So we’ve done the same amount of work in three weeks as we did in the first seven months of this pandemic,” she said.
In total, 29 deaths have been linked to the coronavirus for the county.
Miller was joined by Dr. Barry George of Knox Community Hospital Cardiovascular Services and a member of the Knox County Board of Health.
George said that the latest information from the National Coronavirus Task Force offers a “light at the end of the tunnel,” and that it’s likely a vaccine could be mass-distributed by Easter.
He also talked about recently-confirmed COVID-19 risks for those with a history of cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure.
“What really makes people sick is the fact that this COVID virus attacks all the blood vessels in your body,” George said. The inflammation of those blood vessels greatly increases the risk of clots, which can then occur anywhere in the body, leading to stroke and other risks.
Miller asked that residents go to knoxhealth.com for COVID-19 information prior to calling the health department, noting that the most updated information about current cases— as well as quarantine and isolation information— can be found on the site.
