239k Tennesseans receive vaccine
Full vaccination of state would take more than 3 years at current pace
Tennessee administered is first COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 17, kicking off the state’s phased vaccination plan.
However, the vaccine won’t be widely available until later in the year.
“The limited supply initially will require prioritization,” Dr. Lisa Piercey, the state health commissioner, said in December. “Widespread availability for the public will likely not occur until spring of 2021.”
The pace of vaccinations may also change as supplies fluctuate and possible new vaccines are developed. Additionally, some Tennesseans may decline to take the vaccine.
Bearing all that in mind, here are the latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations Tennessee so far.
HOW MANY TENNESSEANS HAVE BEEN VACCINATED SO FAR?
A total of 656,550 total vaccines were distributed to Tennessee as of Jan. 14, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A total of 264,713 of those vaccines were administered.
Among those, 238,943 were first doses and 25,213 were second doses.
Vaccines by Moderna and Pfizer are currently authorized for emergency use in the United States. Each requires two shots to take full effect.
WHAT PHASE ARE WE IN?
Coronavirus vaccinations are ongoing in all of Tennessee’s 95 counties, but they aren’t handled the same everywhere. As of Jan. 15, each county was still in some part of Phase 1 of the state’s plan.
Some smaller counties have progressed to vaccinating teachers, while more populous counties are only just beginning to schedule vaccinations for residents age 75 and older. Some larger counties already have appointment systems, which may continue once the statewide portal is launched, but others have none.
HOW DO I SIGN UP FOR A VACCINE?
Tennessee launched an online COVID-19 vaccine sign up system in January as the state transitioned away from first-comefirst-serve distribution to instead offer vaccines by appointment online.
To find out if you are eligible and sign up:
Go to Tennessee’s vaccine sign-up website covid19.tn.gov.
Find your county on the map to determine the current vaccination phase.
Check the phase chart to see if you qualify under the current phase.
If you do, click the red “Make an appointment” box for your county.
Some larger counties, including Davidson and Shelby county, don’t make appointments through this website because they previously established their own sign-up systems.
Shelley Walker, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Health, said the new signup system will allow counties to schedule all vaccinations ahead of time and minimize “the number of people who wait in line only to be turned away due to exhausted inventory.”
HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE TO VACCINATE EVERYONE IN TENNESSEE AT THE CURRENT PACE?
The state health department said Tennessee is currently receiving 80,000 doses of vaccines per week. That number may change as the supply chain fluctuates and possible new vaccines are developed.
Factoring in the need for two doses for every Tennessean, the current weekly supply of vaccines and the doses given so far, every Tennessean could be vaccinated roughly 41 months — or three years and five months — from now.