The Tennessee Department of Health released its results from its audit of the Shelby County Health Department’s handling of COVID-19 vaccinations, and the results were not good for the SCHD:
- The estimate of 1315 vaccines expiring and being thrown away was incorrect. The actual number was about 2400, stemming from 7 separate incidents.
- SCHD had 51,000 doses in inventory at the time of the investigation, 30,000 more than it should have had. Some of those doses are nearing expiration. The SCHD lacked procedures for managing doses in danger of expiring.
- Insufficient record-keeping and procedures for storing the vaccine were problems at the SCHD too.
Management of the COVID-19 vaccine has been taken away from SCHD and will be handled by the city and hospital and pharmacy partners.
Twitter was raging about the health department yesterday afternoon, and who can blame them? Allowing 2400 vaccine doses to expire is a little more serious than someone sitting on a stool at a bar, or a restaurant serving a guest at 12:04 AM.
Local Memphis reports that water pressure Downtown is improving. For me, living on one of the upper floors of a 15-story high-rise, I never lost water pressure, but we still haven’t been informed we can turn the heat back on.
I tried to go to work yesterday, also in a Downtown high-rise building, but the doors were locked and there was a “NO RESTROOMS” sign on the door. So I walked up the street to River Time Market & Deli on Court Square and treated myself to breakfast.
Left: Spicy “Just Sausage” biscuit. Right: Deli Ham & Cheeser biscuit with house-made pimiento cheese. Top: Perjorie T. Roll
I also got a blueberry & lemon muffin from the deli.
I was full from the biscuits so I saved the muffin for later. About 25 seconds in the microwave and it was perfect.
Check out River Time’s menu. They’re back open following the water main break and are slowly stocking back up.
On the way over to River Time, I noticed a big pump truck outside Downtown Walgreens, and men unraveling a huge hose and carrying it inside. So I guess they had a pipe burst. Based on what I saw yesterday, I don’t know if I’d expect them to be open soon.
Protestors marched down Main past my apartment about 12:45 yesterday, voicing their opposition to the Byhalia pipeline. The City Council, which was set to vote on the pipeline, delayed its vote to give themselves time to gather more information. We need to say NO to the pipeline! Memphis’ aquifer water is too important to risk. We’ll be hoarding bottled water long after this week if that pipeline is allowed to go through.
The City Council unanimously passed a resolution yesterday ordering all car washes to close for the duration of the Boil Water order. Washing cars is not essential in a time when people do not have water in their homes. Code Enforcement will enforce the order.
Even the Fire Department isn’t immune from pipe breaks. The Memphis Fire Museum will be closed for a few weeks to clean it all up.
News from Ben-Yay’s, the New Orleans-themed restaurant at 51 S. Main:
Mardi Gras festivities in Memphis may have been cancelled due to snow, but we didn’t want you to miss out. We have a few new dishes that we are thinking of adding to the menu that wanted to try.Oyster Rockefeller- – $15Fried Green Tomato Salad – -$15Twin Lobster Tails- – $36Creole Lamb Rack- – $36Also, stop by and check out our new Happy Hour times and specials!
South Bluffs residents: There’s a thief in your area. He walks with a distinctive limp and he was last seen in a plaid shirt and dark pants. Lock your gates. Have your packages delivered to your work if you won’t be at home to receive them.
Craig Unger, Memphis Redbirds president, is hopeful that the new Triple-A divisional realignment will benefit Memphis tourism. He believes it’s possible the Redbirds’ rivals’ fans will follow their team on the road for games in Memphis.
From Nikki’s Hot Products:
It’s true! We have just made the LAST batch of chips EVER! I’m addicted, so not exactly sure how I’ll get by but I’ve decided to focus on my other passion . . . Jabberblabber Family Magazine and all the new adventures that are ahead. There’s just no way for me to continue at this pace with both businesses. I feel that teaching children to read is much more important. If you’re addicted like I am and you want to stock up – you can still buy a case of chips while supplies last. Available on our website. We are also discontinuing the Bloody Mary Mix but will continue on with the seasoning in small batches. A huge THANK YOU to all of you that have been fans and supported me over the years. Much LOVE!
Assistant Director of the Shelby County Health Department, David Sweat, conducted the noon COVID-19 task force press conference yesterday while Drs. Haushalter and Randolph were getting yelled at by the state. A couple of notable tidbits:
- The South African variant of the virus has been found in Memphis. However, the person who had it recently traveled out west, and the belief is they picked it up out there, and that the strain isn’t spreading through the community.
- The reproduction rate of the virus has been below 1 since the beginning of January, and is currently at 0.74. That means the virus is dying out in Shelby County.
The Memphis Tigers host Tulane at 7. The game will be on the ESPN+ premium subscription service.
The CA has a photo gallery: Inside the Hyatt Centric at One Beale. The hotel will have 227 rooms, a Latin-American restaurant, and a rooftop bar.
From Morning Brew: Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, is requiring a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of game time for in-person fans. However, they send attendees a home test kit as part of the price of admission. They are the first arena in the US to do so. Could that practice spread to FedExForum?
It’s National Tortilla Chip Day. Sounds like a good day for some of Maciel’s house-made chips and chorizo queso.
Action News 5 looks at Clayborn Temple in its latest 5-Star Story.
Well, that’s more news than I’ve had on one day in a while I’ll be back tomorrow to do it again.