The COVID-19 virus, more commonly known as the coronavirus, has officially hit the University of Memphis after UofM criminal justice professor Lenard Wells died from the virus Saturday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Tennessee now has recorded 704 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and two deaths. Shelby County has recorded 135 confirmed cases and has 103 people being monitored for COVID-19 symptoms, but so far, there have been zero deaths from the COVID-19 virus reported in Shelby County.
Colleges across the country have been closing due to fear of spreading COVID-19. This sudden closure has left students without access to food, work and housing. UofM president M. David Rudd said the UofM is considering the needs of students when it comes to the steps the university has taken during this pandemic.
“We have consistently taken measures that have followed all state and federal guidance, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Rudd. “We continue to weigh the unique needs of our students, including making sure they have access to needed resources. But rest assured, we continue to follow all state and federal guidelines every step along the way in order to make sure the health and safety of all our campus community are at the forefront.”
The UofM, like many other universities, has opted to continue the rest of the semester with online classes. Rudd said the UofM information technology and online infrastructure is well-positioned for the transition to remote and virtual instruction this week.
“This past year, 85% of all online instruction for UofM Global was completed by full-time UofM faculty, so the overwhelming majority of our faculty are well-prepared, skilled and capable in this domain,” Rudd said.
Dr. Martin Weiss, an internist M.D. in Memphis, Tennessee, said he believes COVID-19 is a severe problem, but there is much to be learned from the virus. What makes the virus unique are the asymptomatic carriers, people who are carrying the virus who do not have symptoms but can spread the virus to other people.
“There are some drugs that are currently being tested that are showing some positive results,” said Weiss. “An antiviral drug called Remdesivir has been reported to have in-vitro activity against COVID-19 and is currently being studied in trials, and Chloroquine has been shown to have potent antiviral activity in cultured cells, but has not been tested in studies in humans.”
Weiss said social distancing, quarantines and curfews would help “flatten the curve,” a term used to express the effort to stop the rapid spread of COVID-19.
“I do feel that we will get over this, and there will be a vaccine in the near future as well as better algorithms for the best course of treatment,” Weiss said. “For now, people must use common sense, and if you are sick, you need to stay home.”
UofM Dean and professor of the Lowenberg College of Nursing Dr. Lin Zhan said if someone is feeling sick in any way, then they should be tested for COVID-19 to be safe so that if someone tests positive, they can begin treatment immediately.
“The simple reason for this practice is that if one gets COVID-19, one may not have any symptoms for a week, and one who was even tested negative could become positive later,” Zhan said.
According to Zhan, physical distancing helps health care providers focus on people who are sick, and more importantly, help health care providers stay well. Zhan said she believes COVID-19 will play out when people “flatten the curve” by staying home and social distancing.
“Now spring is in the air with cherry blossoms, and people love to go out and socialize,” Zhan said. “Try to go to see the cherry blossoms by yourself, not a group. You still can enjoy it.”
Though she is not certain when Zhan said she believes COVID-19 will eventually blow over. The more research that goes into the virus, the closer doctors come to finding a vaccine or medications for it. According to Zhan, the most important thing to remember is not to panic and keep using workable ways to keep healthy, including physical activity, a balanced diet and supporting one another.
