AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH
February 11 - 17, 2021
VOL. 70, No. 6
www.tsdmemphis.com
$1.00
Virus cases down as vaccine jitters continue by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell
Special to The New Tri-State Defender
While Shelby County Health Department officials are encouraged by the dropping number of new COVID-19 infections, they are wary that their optimism could be reversed as suspected variants of the virus enter community transmission. As of Wednesday morning, the county had recorded a total of 85,404 cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, including 170 new cases. There was 3,004 active cases Wednesday (Feb. 10), officials said, compared with 3,267 active cases Tuesday (Feb. 9). There were 11 reported new COVID-19 deaths Wednesday, offi-
City Council contingent makes time-is-now plea to Clergy Page 4 County Commission favors prioritizing teachers for vaxing Page 8 cials said, bringing the reported total of virus-related deaths to 1,398 since the pandemic began here. Also, Wednesday, Health Department officials said primary vaccination sites will be closed Thursday (Feb. 11), due to inclement weather. The Health Department has rescheduled all the appointments for the same time at Pipkin, Germantown
Baptist Church, Southwest Tennessee Community College-Whitehaven and the commodity warehouse on Bellevue to Thursday (Feb. 18). Updated information will be posted on the shelby.community website. At Tuesday’s Shelby County Joint Task Force update, Dr. Bruce Randolph, health department medical director, said “Thank you” to Shelby County. “We are on a downward trend. You have been wearing your masks, social distancing and avoiding crowd gatherings. Let’s stay the course and continue to do what we need to do. Let’s not stop now.” Randolph said there was a pre-
SEE VIRUS ON PAGE 2
Giving of one’s self... Charles Harris flashes his affiliation with Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. while donating blood during an MLK Day of Service event sponsored by the NAACP. “Omegas are some of our biggest blood donors. They honor Dr. Charles Drew, their frat brother, who created the blood bank,” said Debra Brown, a senior donor recruiter for Vitalant (formerly LifeBlood). (Courtesy photo) Story on Community, Page 8.
FedEx makes $5 million-move to support four regional HBCUs
LeMoyne-Owen, TSU part of commitment TSD Newsroom
The Southwest Tennessee Community College-Whitehaven Center recently served as a vaccine service site, with nursing students out in full force to help administer first doses of the Pfizer vaccine in conjunction with Shelby County Government and the Shelby County Health Department. (Photo: Twitter)
Johnson & Johnson to apply for FDA approval ‘this’ week. Two-year study? I’m confused… by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell
Special to The New Tri-State Defender
If there is one thing we all have learned about the COVID-19 global pandemic, it is that things can change. Time may seem to pass slowly and, in a moment, a kind of jet-age, warped-speed phenomenon has taken place. In mid-December, I signed up for a two-year vaccine study, testing this wonder drug devised by Janssen Pharmaceutical Company, a division of Johnson and Johnson. The “Ensemble” study is its name, and it is at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Could there be a safer venue?
The testing of this vaccine is important, I was told. I believed it then and I still believe it now. One shot will get the job done. No need for a second. Peering Dr. Sybil down the road, C. Mitchell the lives of our children’s children will not be plagued with this virus. It will go the way of other viruses, snuffed out of pandemic proportions by vaccines that someone had to be willing to test. I committed – for two years – to
keeping a journal about my health; any evolution of it. I’ve recorded every adverse effect brought on by the shot I was given on Dec. 14, 2020. I am signed up to be a part of the study until September 2022, according to the contract to which I agreed. So, imagine my chagrin last week when news outlets reported that the Johnson & Johnson Ensemble Clinical Trial had met “all primary and key secondary endpoints.” Application was being made for emergency use, just as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines did weeks earlier. To say I was confused is putting it mildly. I wondered if the efficacy and safety data are all in, what in the
SEE STUDY ON PAGE 2
FedEx Corp. has pledged to commit $5 million to four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Mississippi and Tennessee. The initiative is crafted to create education and job readiness for students at Tennessee State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi Valley State University and LeMoyne-Owen College, Memphis’ only HBCU. The initiative, a collaborative effort between FedEx and each school, is designed to help prepare students for the workforce beyond formal education. A portion of the multi-year commitment will be used to offer relief support to help students, faculty and staff at each school who have suffered adverse economic impact due to COVID-19. “With many students and families struggling right now as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, our hope is that this timely investment will help keep more students in school and provide future access to leadership, educational and employment opportunities,” said Judy Edge, corporate vice president of Human Resources at FedEx. “This contribution further deep-
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ens our commitment to creating more equitable communities by breaking down barriers to work and making a sustainable, longterm impact on underrepresented groups.” The New Tri-State Defender reached out to LeMoyne-College for comment about the FedEx gift and had not received that statement by its print deadline. Tennessee State University President Dr. Glenda Glover said the “awesome gift” will assist TSU in addressing some of the unique challenges the university is facing directly and indirectly because of COVID-19. “It is no secret that many of the challenges faced by students at TSU relate to limited funds,” Glover said. “This partnership is a great example of public and private entities collaborating to enhance the higher education experience for African-American students.” The initiative builds on the longstanding relationship between the four HBCUs and FedEx. That relationship already yields endowed scholarships at Jackson State University, Tennessee State University and LeMoyne-Owen College; a customized career readiness pro-
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