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Health leaders say "COVID-19 Fatigue" as one cause for spike in cases

The Chief Medical Officer for Tennova Healthcare said that people may be tired of wearing masks and social distancing, leading to an increase in cases.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Cases of COVID-19 are rising across Tennessee and in the U.S. generally, and health care leaders said that one cause for the rise in cases could be due to "COVID-19 fatigue."

The Chief Medical Officer for Tennova Healthcare, Dr. Frank Beuerlein, said during an online conference that people may be tired of wearing masks and practicing social distancing. The less that people follow COVID-19 guidelines though, the more cases of the coronavirus will be reported.

"I understand," he said. "People are tired of wearing masks, tired of social distancing. But because we have experienced that fatigue, we're actually seeing it worsening now. There are more cases now than we've ever had. This could be considered our third wave, and we don't know where the end of this is."

Health leaders also said that cooler weather could also be a factor causing the number of COVID-19 cases to rise. Since people tend to stay inside during cooler months, there may be less space to stay apart and practice social distancing.

"As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase in our region, we need everybody's help to stop the spread of the virus," he also said.

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