“The omicron surge seems to have ended in both Rutherford and Williamson counties, and… Davidson, is getting there. Plainly, though, the virus is still circulating, and anyone not fully vaccinated remains at an elevated risk of serious illness or death.”
Professor Ken Blake, Middle Tennessee State University
Story by Jonah Johnson, Contributing Writer
2022 started off strong with the introduction of a COVID-19 variant called omicron. Merely two months after the virus’ surge, Rutherford County area hospitals are reporting promising patient counts.
As of today, Murfreesboro’s St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital COVID-positive patient counts have dropped to 24 patients, comparable to the 129 patients being treated at the beginning of February.
Rutherford County’s other main hospital, TriStar Stonecrest Medical Center, has plateaued at 6 COVID-positive patients, the same number of patients being treated pre-Omicron.
Additionally, other area hospitals such as Vanderbilt Hospital and Williamson County Medical Center, are also seeing decreases in COVID patient counts.
Professor Ken Blake, who teaches data analysis at Middle Tennessee State University’s School of Journalism and Strategic Media, has been keeping up with Rutherford County’s COVID-19 numbers since the beginning.
“These days, hospitalization counts offer the best indication of how much danger COVID-19 poses to the community,” stated Prof. Blake. At-home COVID tests have made it nearly impossible to get accurate positive COVID test data, so hospitalization counts offer the clearest predictor of another outbreak.
He continues to share his thoughts about today’s data saying, “The omicron surge seems to have ended in both Rutherford and Williamson counties, and… Davidson, is getting there. Plainly, though, the virus is still circulating, and anyone not fully vaccinated remains at an elevated risk of serious illness or death.”
Rutherford County has had a rough time during this pandemic. Tennessee Department of Health data shows that Rutherford County has had a total of 865 COVID deaths to date.
Despite the hardships and loss that the pandemic brought, Rutherford County residents managed to do their part. MTSU mandated masks on campus for student safety and a little over half of the county’s population is fully vaccinated.
MTSU students have had to show extreme resilience during this uncertain time. Molly Millman, a senior at MTSU majoring in film, had to put her dreams on pause due to the pandemic.
“When COVID first occurred, I was getting my life together,” stated Millman. “I was enrolled in the Disney College Program, had a trip to L.A. planned and had a 4.0.”
She didn’t re-sign her apartment lease and unenrolled at MTSU due to her plans of being at Disney World for the semester. When Disney let her know that the program had been cancelled, she then had to scramble to re-enroll and decide on a housing situation.
Not only did the pandemic affect her semester plans, but the virtual learning atmosphere took a toll on her grades. Virtual learning is a new normal for students everywhere, and while there are benefits, there have also been detriments for some.
“COVID messed a lot up for me… I’m glad to hear that things are looking up in my area, maybe I should reschedule my trip,” Millman concluded.
