Susceptibility and resistance to SARS CoV-2 (Covid) is the focus of a new grant set to be given to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced Friday that $231,000 will be arriving from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH) to study the determinants that regulate susceptibility and resistance to the virus.
In a press release congressman Cohen described the grant as a “timely” investment.
“As the ongoing pandemic surges with new variants, this will support critical research at our medical school and will save lives,” Cohen said. “I am pleased to see that our Memphis-based researchers are tackling this important work.”
The same day, the Shelby County Health Department reported 361 new cases but no new deaths. That brings the total number of cases to 240,841 and the total number of deaths to 3,289 in Shelby county since the pandemic began.
Over the last 14-day period there have been 349 pediatric cases in Shelby County.
Though the CDC recommends those who have tested positive with Covid-19 wait at least 5 days in isolation, a person can still be contagious five days after a positive test. It is recommended that they wear a mask for an additional five days.
The state of Tennessee as a whole reported an average of 517 new cases per day and three new deaths per day for the week of May 1 through May 7, 2022. This totals 2,036,315 cases and 26,209 deaths in the state since the start of the pandemic.