Alcoa City Schools had to close Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, due to illnesses of students and staff.

"Alcoa had 250 student out across its four schools on Wednesday, Sept. 1."

"ACS had a total of 18 teachers out for any reasons..."

This gives the Alcoa City Schools students and staff 5 days to heal since this is a 3 day weekend and Tuesday is a staff professional development day.

As reported today from the Blount Memorial Hospital Facebook page.

Blount Memorial Hospital has requested assistance from the Tennessee National Guard. In addition, "Blount Memorial has started pulling clinical staff who serve business and industries (e.g. City of Alcoa, Maryville City Schools, Arconic, Denso) back to the hospital to help handle the influx of patients." This may "force employees to seek health services they usually got at their place of work" to get it from other health service facilities.

As of 08/27/2021:
There are 55 Blount County COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized, 14 in ICU.
That's double the numbers from two weeks ago.
Based on previous reports, this would indicate the Blount Memorial Hospital ICU is at capacity.

*** 7-day average Positivity rate is 23.6% 20.1% as of 08/26/2021 *** (TN County Data Snapshot).
Over triple the rate of 7.2% as of 7/13/2021 and up from 20.1% as of 8/11/2021.
Positivity rate preferred to be below 3%.

According to the Maryville, TN (Blount County) government, TN County Data Snapshot, and the Maryville Daily Times newspaper reporting,

As of August 27, 2021, Blount County, TN, has reported
18,522 cases of the coronavirus.

Blount County’s positive COVID-19 cases have risen from:
106 cases on June 15, 2020,
to 9,365 cases on December 27, 2020,
to 15,559 cases on March 14, 2021,
to 15,993 on July 12, 2021,
to 16,419 on August 2, 2021.
to 17,006 on August 11, 2021.
to 18,522 on August 27, 2021.

As of 08/27/2021:
There are 55 Blount County COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized, 14 in ICU.
That's double the numbers from two weeks ago.
Based on previous reports, this would indicate the Blount Memorial Hospital ICU is at capacity.

As of 12/27/2020:
Ninety-four Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

As of 05/14/2021:
One hundred Ninety-six Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

As of 07/12/2021:
200 Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

As of 08/2/2021:
203 Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

As of 08/11/2021:
207 Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

As of 08/27/2021:
212 Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

Vaccinations reported, last updated 8/27/2021:
% with 2 doses - 41.98% up from 40.53% on 8/11/2021, up from 40.07% on 8/2/2021, up from 39.17% on 7/14/2021.
% with at least 1 dose - 47.22% up from 44.93% on 8/11/2021, up from 43.92% on 8/2/2021, up from 42.36% on 7/14/2021.

Be careful out there.
Get vaccinated!
Wear a mask!

From the Daily Times,

"Blount County had 104 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in children ages 5-18 in the two weeks ending Aug. 11, according to the Tennessee Department of Health."

"Alcoa City Schools has conducted 41 tests and detected 10 positive cases... five of those cases were staff members." Twenty-five percent of tests are positive for the coronavirus. "39 students or staff members have been quarantined based on the on-campus testing."

"Maryville City Schools has had one positive staff member and three student cases among 45 tests it administered,..."

"Blount County Schools has had 10 student and three staff cases in 105 tests it administered,..."

*** 7-day average Positivity rate is 20.1% as of 08/11/2021 *** (TN County Data Snapshot).
Nearly triple the rate of 7.2% as of 7/13/2021 and up from 18.8% as of 8/2/2021.
Positivity rate preferred to be below 3%.

According to the Maryville, TN (Blount County) government reporting,

As of August 11, 2021, Blount County, TN, has reported
17,006 cases of the coronavirus.

Blount County’s positive COVID-19 cases have risen from:
106 cases on June 15, 2020,
to 9,365 cases on December 27, 2020,
to 15,559 cases on March 14, 2021,
to 15,993 on July 12, 2021,
to 16,419 on August 2, 2021.
to 17,006 on August 11, 2021.
*** More cases in two weeks than the prior 4 months. ***

As of 08/10/2021:
There are 28 Blount County COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized, 7 in ICU.
That's nearly 7 times the number of hospitalizations as was on 7/12/2021 and up nearly 50% from 8/2/2021. This is over twice as many cases in ICU as were on 8/2/2021.

As of 12/27/2020:
Ninety-four Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

As of 05/14/2021:
One hundred Ninety-six Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

As of 07/12/2021:
200 Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

As of 08/2/2021:
203 Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

As of 08/11/2021:
207 Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

Vaccinations reported, last updated 8/11/2021:
% with 2 doses - 40.53%, up from 40.07% on 8/2/2021, up from 39.17% on 7/14/2021.
% with at least 1 dose - 44.93%, up from 43.92% on 8/2/2021, up from 42.36% on 7/14/2021.

Be careful out there.
Get vaccinated!
Wear a mask!

From the Daily Times,

"Maryville First Baptist Nursery School has closed for the week after multiple cases of COVID-19 (children and teachers) were identified at the facility."

*** 7-day average Positivity rate is 18.8% as of 08/2/2021 *** (TN County Data Snapshot).
More than double the rate of 7.2% as of 7/13/2021.
Positivity rate preferred to be below 3%.

According to the Maryville, TN (Blount County) government reporting,

As of August 2, 2021, Blount County, TN, has reported
16,419 cases of the coronavirus.

Blount County’s positive COVID-19 cases have risen from:
106 cases on June 15, 2020,
to 9,365 cases on December 27, 2020,
to 15,559 cases on March 14, 2021,
to 15,993 on July 12, 2021,
to 16,419 on August 2, 2021.
*** More cases in two weeks than the prior 4 months. ***

As of 08/2/2021:
There are 19 Blount County COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized, 3 in ICU.
That's nearly 5 times the number on 7/12/2021.

As of 12/27/2020:
Ninety-four Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

As of 05/14/2021:
One hundred Ninety-six Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

As of 07/12/2021:
200 Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

As of 08/2/2021:
203 Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

Vaccinations reported, last updated 8/2/2021:
% with 2 doses - 40.07%, up from 39.17% on 7/14/2021.
% with at least 1 dose - 43.92%, up from 42.36% on 7/14/2021.

Be careful out there.
Get vaccinated!
Wear a mask!

*** 7-day average Positivity rate is 7.2% as of 07/13/2021 *** (TN County Data Snapshot). This is higher than the 5/14/2021 positivity rate of 6.4%.
Positivity rate preferred to be below 3%.

According to the Maryville, TN (Blount County) government reporting,

As of March 14, 2021, Blount County, TN, has reported
15,993 cases of the coronavirus.

Blount County’s positive COVID-19 cases have risen from:
106 cases on June 15, 2020,
to 9,365 cases on December 27, 2020,
to 15,559 cases on March 14, 2021,
to 15,993 on July 12, 2021.

As of 07/12/2021:
There are 4 Blount County COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized, 0 in ICU.

As of 12/27/2020:
Ninety-four Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

As of 05/14/2021:
One hundred Ninety-six Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

As of 07/12/2021:
200 Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

Vaccinations reported, last updated 7/14/2021:
% with 2 doses - 39.17%
% with at least 1 dose - 42.36%

Be careful out there.
Wear a mask!

From the Maryville Daily Times.
The city of Alcoa will hold an open house for the Springbrook Farm/Alcoa West Plant commercial/residential development.
Open to the public.
6-8 p.m.
Thursday, June 24,
at the Alcoa Service Center,
725 Universal St.

"City officials and designers with Atwell LLC of Lawrenceville, Georgia, will be available to discuss a single-family detached housing concept by Atwell, amending a portion of the previous layout of the Springbrook Farm master plan for an area along the Mills Street corridor."

*** 7-day average Positivity rate is 6.4% as of 05/14/2021 *** (TN County Data Snapshot)
Positivity rate preferred to be below 3%.

According to the Maryville, TN (Blount County) government reporting,

As of March 14, 2021, Blount County, TN, has reported
15,559 cases of the coronavirus.

Blount County’s positive COVID-19 cases have risen from 106 cases on June 15, 2020, to 9,365 cases on December 27, 2020, to 15,559 cases on March 14, 2021.

As of 05/12/2021:
There are 6 Blount County COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized, 3 in ICU.

As of 12/27/2020:
Ninety-four Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

As of 05/14/2021:
One hundred Ninety-six Blount County residents have died from the coronavirus.

Be careful out there.
Wear a mask!

Company Distilling announced today that the company will establish new operations in Blount County.

As of January 21, 2021, 131 people died from the coronavirus.

As of March 18, 2021, 186 people died from the coronavirus.

55 additional deaths in just under 2 months.

Over the last 7 days the positivity rate is still 10.0%.

Current cases hospitalized at Blount Memorial Hospital are still high, 14 cases of which 4 are in ICU. More Blount County residents may be hospitalized in Knox County.

It's not over people. Please be careful. Wear a mask! Do not gather in groups.

297 new cases as reported by State of TN

Wonder why it has gotten so high.

The City of Alcoa originated in 1918 as the first planned community in the State of Tennessee. A planned community is any community that was carefully planned from its inception. In the original plans, Alcoa, Inc., included one acre of park space for every 100 city inhabitants. Between 1918 and 1924 approximately 300 shade trees were planted along city streets and parks. In addition, the City of Alcoa has a great school system that is being left behind with promises of more funding from new growth/development.

For the past 12 or so years the city managers, along with Blount County, Knox County, Maryville, and the State of Tennessee, have been spending a lot of money and effort to remake the City of Alcoa with uncontrolled growth and immense costs.

Is there a plan? What is the cost? How much more can we take? I understand growth. I lived in the Orlando, FL, area during a time of huge growth. However, there has to be a plan. There also has to be a limit on how much a town of 8,000 residents can spend.