Survival...

At his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., Trump announced (using executive orders) he was postponing payroll taxes through the end of the year, extending the unemployment “bonus” at $400 a week (down from $600), helping people “stay in their homes,” and waiving student debt payments through the end of 2020. The details, however, are not as generous as he made them sound.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday called President Donald Trump's executive actions on coronavirus relief "absurdly unconstitutional."

"Well, the fact is, is that whether they're legal or not takes time to figure out. I associate my remarks with what the Senator (Ben) Sasse (R-Nebraska) who says, they're 'unconstitutional slop.'

He is ordering a payroll tax deferral, not a cut, meaning the taxes won’t be collected for a while but they will still be due at a later date. On housing, he instructs key officials to “consider” whether there should be a ban on evictions. He also insists that state governments pick up the tab for some of the unemployment aid.

Currently the CARES Act provides that all employers may defer the deposit and payment of the employer's portion of Social Security taxes and certain railroad retirement taxes... The payroll tax deferral period began on March 27, 2020 and ends December 31, 2020.

Trying to kill Social Security as well as the Postal Service.

Deferral of taxes will be an unwelcome surprise when it comes time to ante up. Employees could be in for a real surprise, but can you imagine the liability some employers could take on.

Also, I wonder if the State of Tennessee will be willing to ante up the state recommended portion of unemployment?

The Knox County Health Department reports
4,592 coronavirus cases and 156 probable cases.

That's 678 new cases in the past week, with 83, 114, 54, 131, 75, 129, 92 as the cases per day for the past week.
That's a 17.3% increase over last week.

There are 30 Knox County COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized.

There have been 44 total deaths in Knox County from COVID-19.
That's a 16% increase in deaths in the past week (38 as of August 1).
4 in the 18-44 age group (9%)
15 in the 45-64 age group (34%)
4 in the 65-74 age group (9%)
21 in the 75+ age group (48%)

Tests conducted on Knox County residents has gone down in the last two weeks (4,353 week of July 19, 3,492 week of July 26) as compared to the three prior weeks (4,425 week of June 28, 5,401 week of July 5, 5,972 week of July 12).

As of August 4, 2020, ICU Bed availability is down at 19.1%. (278 ICU beds total with 53 beds available) (Note, prior to this 8/4/2020 report, ICU bed capacity was 272. It would appear that Knox County has increased ICU bed capacity by 6 beds.)

The County Health Department has a map with the number of coronavirus cases per zip code.
On August 6, 2020, these zip codes were reported with the most cases:
(last reported on July 30)
37921 has the most cases with 416 (population 28,000) (16.5% increase), then
37920 with 376 cases (population 39,000) (15.7% increase)
37918 with 317 cases (population 44,476) (17.0% increase)
37917 with 281 cases (population 27,000) (21.1% increase)
37919 with 279 cases (population 28,000) (increase not calculated, 37919 not in top 4 since June 14)
37923 with 269 cases (population 30,000) (13.5% increase)

Be careful out there.

From reports dated as of August 8, 2020.

There has been a steady increase in coronavirus (covid-19) cases in Tennessee.

According to the TN Dept. of Health, 120,585 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in TN and 1,176 have died from it.

That is an additional 12,401 cases in one week and an additional 109 reported deaths.

1,683,722 tests have been given to Tennessee residents.
That is an additional 142,107 tests in the past week.
17,649 fewer tests were given in the last week as compared to the week before.

Hospitalizations have increased slightly. From August 1 to August 8 (7 days) the number of patients hospitalized for the coronavirus has increased by 3.0% (by 32 from 1,020 to 1,052). .

7.4% of TN residents tested for the coronavirus have tested positive for the coronavirus.

24.4% of the 6.89 million people estimated to live in TN have been tested for the coronavirus.
However, that may not be true. I don't know how tests are counted when a single person gets tested multiple times. Certain people in certain fields of work (medical, education, sports) or physical ability (mursing home residents, hospital patients) may get tested multiple times.

Be careful out there.

The Knox County Health Department reports
3,914 coronavirus cases and 129 probable cases.

That's 960 new cases in the past week, with 131, 120, 167, 161, 108, 120, 153 as the cases per day for the past week.
That's a 32.5% increase over last week.

There are 36 Knox County COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized.

There have been 38 total deaths in Knox County from COVID-19.
That's a 65% increase in deaths in the past week (23 as of July 25).
3 in the 18-44 age group (8%)
11 in the 45-64 age group (29%)
5 in the 65-74 age group (13%)
19 in the 75+ age group (50%)

As of July 28, 2020, ICU Bed availability is up to 21.0%. (272 ICU beds total with 57 beds available)

The County Health Department has a map with the number of coronavirus cases per zip code.
On July 30, 2020, these zip codes were reported with the most cases:
(last reported on July 16)
37921 has the most cases with 357 (population 28,000) (64.5% increase), then
37920 with 325 cases (population 39,000) (92.3% increase).
37918 with 271 cases (population 44,476) (93.6% increase)
37923 with 237 cases (population 30,000) (80.9% increase) and
37917 with 232 cases (population 27,000) (64.5% increase)

From reports dated as of August 1, 2020.

There has been a steady increase in coronavirus (covid-19) cases in Tennessee.

According to the TN Dept. of Health, 108,184 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in TN and 1,067 have died from it..

That is an additional 14,248 cases in one week and an additional 100 reported deaths.

1,541,615 tests have been given to Tennessee residents.
That is an additional 159,756 tests in the past week.
49,191 fewer tests were given in the last week as compared to the week before.

Hospitalizations have stayed constant. From July 27 to August 1 (5 days) the number of patients hospitalized for the coronavirus has decreased by less than 1.0% (by 4 from 1,024 to 1,020). .

7.0% of TN residents tested for the coronavirus have tested positive for the coronavirus.

22.4% of the 6.89 million people estimated to live in TN have been tested for the coronavirus.
However, that may not be true. I don't know how tests are counted when a single person gets tested multiple times. Certain people in certain fields of work (medical, education, sports) or physical ability (mursing home residents, hospital patients) may get tested multiple times.

Be careful out there.

The Knox County Health Department reports 3,085 coronavirus cases and 138 probable cases.

That's 791 new cases in the past week, with 58, 93, 78, 123, 187, 137, 115 as the cases per day for the past week.
That's a 36.6% increase over last week.

According to the TN Dept. of Health, on 6/27/2020 for the first time Knox County broke the threshold for rate of new covid-19 cases per 100,000 Tennesseans.
Knox County continues to break this threshold, three times the week of June 28, three times the week of July 5, six times the week of July 12, six times the week of July 19. Twelve times in the past 14 days.
This threshold is used for decision making processes, e.g. long term care facilities in counties below the threshold for 14 consecutive days may consider allowing visitors. Sevier County has been above this threshold for 14 days.

There are 44 Knox County COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized.
That's a 4% decrease in hospitalizations compared to the previous week.

There have been 23 total deaths in Knox County from COVID-19.
That's a 28% increase in deaths in the past week (18 as of July 18).
2 in the 18-44 age group (9%)
8 in the 45-64 age group (35%)
1 in the 65-74 age group (4%)
12 in the 75+ age group (52%)

As of July 21, 2020, ICU Bed availability is up to 15.8%. (272 ICU beds total with 43 beds available)

The County Health Department has a map with the number of coronavirus cases per zip code.
This data has not been updated since the last report.

From reports dated as of July 24 or 25 or 26, 2020.
Not sure exactly. One TN Dept of Health web page says July 25 case counts are delayed due to a technical difficulty.
Another page, the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Unified Command (by Arcgis) indicates a date of 7/26/2020.
There has been a steady increase in coronavirus (covid-19) cases in Tennessee.

According to the TN Dept. of Health, 93,936 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in TN and 967 have died from it..

That is an additional 17,600 cases in one week and an additional 129 reported deaths.

1,381,859 residents have been tested.
That is an additional 208,947 tests in the past week.
42,649 more tests were given in the last week as compared to the week before.

Hospitalizations are up. From July 18 to July 28 (8 days) the number of patients hospitalized for the coronavirus has increased by 4.3% (42 from 982 to 1,024). .

6.8% of TN residents tested for the coronavirus have tested positive for the coronavirus.
20.1% of the 6.89 million people estimated to live in TN have been tested for the coronavirus.

Be careful out there.

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett visited Blount County Public Library’s early voting site Friday evening as part of an effort to see what voting looks like during the coronavirus pandemic.

Hargett noted that sending a ballot by mail may also be problematic. For instance, when voters place a ballot in the mail they might doubt the mail reached its final destination.
(Probably on his way for a short vacation in Gatlinburg/snarc)

Some Knoxville post offices cutting daily hours, halting Saturday window service. Six Knoxville post office locations will have reduced hours, two locations will no longer be open on Saturdays (South Knox and North Knox - Broadway.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a major Trump donor and seasoned logistics executive, is making a lot of possibly negative changes to the Postal Service. DeJoy was named postmaster general in May. He was previously in charge of fundraising for the Republican National Convention in Charlotte and is the first postmaster general in 20 years who has not come up through the agency’s ranks.

In a document out by the Postmaster General, "the first memo says the agency will prohibit overtime and strictly curtail the use of other measures local postmasters use to ameliorate staffing shortages."

“This is framing the U.S. Postal Service, a 245-year-old government agency, and comparing it to its competitors that could conceivably go bankrupt,” said Philip Rubio, a professor of history at North Carolina A&T State University and a former postal worker. “Comparing it to U.S. Steel says exactly that ‘We are a business, not service.’ That’s troubling.”

The changes also worry vote-by-mail advocates, who insist that any policy that slows delivery could imperil access to mailed and absentee ballots. It reinforces the need, they say, for Congress to provide the agency emergency coronavirus funding.

This administration appears to be making extraordinary efforts to destroy the federal government.

After naming Knox County a COVID-19 hotspot earlier this month, three representatives from the CDC, FEMA and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response told the Health Department consistent messaging on masks is needed from all levels of the government to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

It advised a member of the White House COVID-19 Task Force call or visit Governor Bill Lee and recommend passing a statewide mask mandate.

Maybe that is why Alabama went with a state mandate.
Apparently the governor of Tennessee knows better.

The Maryville Daily Times reports sources close to the Maryville College football team indicate there will be no season this fall. The presidents of the schools comprising the USA South Athletic Conference are planning to meet and discuss moving the season to the spring. There is no confirmation from Maryville College President Bryan Coker.

The Knox County Health Department reports 2,163 coronavirus cases and 88 probable cases.

That's 596 new cases in the past week, with 19, 42, 118, 68, 92, 147, 110 as the cases per day for the past week.
That's a 38% increase over last week.

According to the TN Dept. of Health, on 6/27/2020 for the first time Knox County broke the threshold for rate of new covid-19 cases per 100,000 Tennesseans.
Knox County continues to break this threshold, three times the week of June 28, three times the week of July 5, six times the week of July 12. Ten times in the past 14 days.
The ratios are getting higher, e.g. up to 30.83.
This threshold is used for decision making processes, e.g. long term care facilities in counties below the threshold for 14 consecutive days may consider allowing visitors. Sevier County has been above this threshold for 14 days.

There are 46 Knox County COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized.
That's a 21% increase in hospitalizations in the last week.

There have been eighteen total deaths in Knox County from COVID-19.
That's an 80% increase in deaths in the past week (10 as of July 11).
2 in the 18-44 age group (11%)
6 in the 45-64 age group (33%)
10 in the 75+ age group (56%)

As of July 14, 2020, ICU Bed availability is up to 8.8%. (272 ICU beds total with 24 beds available)
As of July 7, 2020, ICU Bed availability is down again to 7.7%. (272 ICU beds total with 21 beds available)
As of June 30, 2020, ICU Bed availability was 11.0% (272 ICU beds total with 30 beds available).
As of June 25, 2020, ICU Bed availability was at 14.3% (272 ICU beds total with 39 beds available).

The County Health Department has a map with the number of coronavirus cases per zip code.
On July 16, 2020, these zip codes were reported with the most cases:
37921 has the most cases with 217 (population 28,000) (24.0% increase), then
37920 with 169 cases (population 39,000) (31.0% increase).
37917 with 141 cases (population 27,000) (24.7% increase)
37918 with 140 cases (population 44,476) (1st time entry into the higher number of cases in Knox County)
37923 with 131 cases (population 30,000) (27.2% increase) and

From reports dated as of July 18, 2020.
There has been a steady increase in coronavirus (covid-19) cases in Tennessee.

According to the TN Dept. of Health, 76,336 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in TN and 838 have died from it..

That is an additional 15,330 cases in one week and an additional 100 reported deaths.

On July 13 a new record (3,314) for a single day of new coronavirus cases was reported. The average number of cases reported daily for the past seven days is 2,190.

1,172,913 residents have been tested.
That is an additional 166,297 tests in the past week.
37,911 more tests were given in the last week as compared to the week before.

Hospitalizations are up. From July 9 to July 18 (9 days) the number of patients hospitalized for the coronavirus has increased by 16.7% (141 from 842 to 983). .

6.5% of TN residents tested for the coronavirus have tested positive for the coronavirus.
17.0% of the 6.89 million people estimated to live in TN have been tested for the coronavirus.

Be careful out there.

Many retailers are requiring customers to wear masks while shopping; including Walmart, Target, Kroger, Publix, CVS, Walgreens, Starbucks, Best Buy, Kohl’s.

I drove by Walmart in Alcoa this morning. They have limited access to a single entrance. Barriers control entrance and they have someone outside to ensure compliance.

Hope this works. Hope there is no violence, locally at least.

Be careful out there.

Specifically, it stipulates Alabamians must wear a mask when within 6 feet of a person from another household; in an indoor space open to the public; a vehicle operated by a transportation service such as Uber; or an outdoor public space where 10 or more people are gathered.

Here are the other states requiring people to wear masks when out in public.

Sheesh. Congrats to Alabama.

Local media (WBIR in this case) is reporting on information coming out of the school system.

WBIR: KCS provides answers after concerned teachers speak out

Common answers:
* Teachers should reference the reopening plan released on July 15 to review safety precautions.
* KCS cannot provide unlimited sick days to staff members. Employees may use existing accrued leave, existing leave policies, FFCRA leave when applicable, sick bank (for employees affected), or disability insurance.

WBIR: Early draft of Knox Co. Schools plan shows late start, temp checks & masks
*The final plan is supposed to be presented to the school board Wednesday evening at 5 p.m. (today?)
* families are only able to register for the virtual leaning plan until July 22 (next Wednesday, in one week) and if they choose that option, they will need to stay with it for the semester.

WBIR: Coalition of educators, parents offers guidance on how Knox County should proceed with fall classes

Haven't been able to find the KCS "reopening plan released on July 15." It does not appear a lot of the Knox County Education Coalition's requests are being met.

Florida hit an alarming one-day high on Sunday with 15,300 new coronavirus cases, shattering both the state and national record for new cases reported since the start of the pandemic.

With Sunday’s staggering surge in new cases, Florida eclipsed New York’s coronavirus peak of 12,274 cases on April 4.

Sure, go to Florida this summer. The beaches are great, Disney is open.

Please keep the spread in Florida or do a 14 day quarantine when you return.

Keep Florida's idiocracy in Florida.

The Knox County Health Department reports 1,567 coronavirus cases and 51 probable cases.

That's 381 new cases in the past week, with 17, 93, 70, 54, 65, 41, 41 as the cases per day for the past week.
That's a 32% increase over last week.

According to the TN Dept. of Health, on 6/27/2020 for the first time Knox County broke the threshold for rate of new covid-19 cases per 100,000 Tennesseans.
Knox County continues to break this threshold, three times the week of June 28, three times the week of July 5.
The ratios are getting higher, e.g. 15.14 vs 21.95.
This threshold is used for decision making processes, e.g. long term care facilities in counties below the threshold for 14 consecutive days may consider allowing visitors. Sevier County has been above this threshold for 14 days.

There are 38 Knox County COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized.
That's more than double the number of cases (17) hospitalized last week.

There have been ten total deaths in Knox County from COVID-19.
That's double the number of deaths from two weeks ago (June 27).
One of our citizens died two weeks ago from the coronavirus.
Four people died this past week.

As of July 7, 2020, ICU Bed availability is down again to 7.7%. (272 ICU beds total with 21 beds available)
As of June 30, 2020, ICU Bed availability was 11.0% (272 ICU beds total with 30 beds available).
As of June 25, 2020, ICU Bed availability was at 14.3% (272 ICU beds total with 39 beds available).

The County Health Department has a map with the number of coronavirus cases per zip code.
On July 9, 2020, these zip codes were reported with the most cases:
37921 has the most cases with 175 (population 28,000) (38.9% increase), then
37920 with 129 cases (population 39,000) (59.3% increase).
37917 with 113 cases (population 27,000) (46.8% increase)
37923 with 103 cases (population 30,000) (21.2% increase) and

From reports dated as of July 11, 2020.
There has been a steady increase in coronavirus (covid-19) cases in Tennessee.

According to the TN Dept. of Health, 61,006 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in TN and 738 have died from it..

That is an additional 10,866 cases in one week and an additional 101 reported deaths.

That is nearly double the highest weekly increase in coronavirus deaths.

On July 8 a new record (2,472) for a single day of new coronavirus cases was reported.

1,006,616 residents have been tested.
That is an additional 128,386 tests in the past week.
1,615 fewer tests were given in the last week as compared to the week before.

Hospitalizations are up. From July 2 to July 9 (7 days) the number of patients hospitalized for the coronavirus has increased by 27.6% (182 from 660 to 842).

6.1% of TN residents tested for the coronavirus have tested positive for the coronavirus.
14.6% of the 6.89 million people estimated to live in TN have been tested for the coronavirus.

Be careful out there.

Rep. Kent Calfee (71), R-Kingston (Roane County), said on Facebook on Friday afternoon he and his wife had tested positive.

Rep. Calfee is not experiencing symptoms.
However, his wife is being treated.

He " was in the Cordell Hull legislative office building as recently as last week, when he attended two days of Joint Government Operations Committee meetings. Only a few lawmakers on the 24-member committee worse masks. "
...
After Calfee's positive test became public, Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, said on Twitter she was in the same committee as him for 10 hours last week. She noted Calfee was not wearing a mask.
...
The test results come ... days after Cleveland Mayor Kevin Brooks (who was hospitalized late last month), who led a prayer in the House on June 18, tested positive for COVID-19. Brooks shook hands with several of his colleagues that day.
...
As recently as June 27, Calfee attended a Loudon County Republican Party headquarters opening that was also attended by Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, state Rep. Lowell Russell, R-Vonore, U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, and GOP U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty.

Contact tracing....

Many thanks to our legislature for being dumb as dirt.
Whatever...

Be careful out there.