Shelby vaccine supply uncertain
As COVID-19 vaccinations continue across Tennessee and vaccine stores dwindle in many counties, Shelby County officials say it could be weeks or even months before a consistent supply can be counted on for one of the largest public health initiatives in recent memory.
How many doses the health department is allocated and where health department staff will be actively administering vaccines will be subject to change, possibly on a daily basis.
The reasons are multi-pronged, according to Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter; but, the main variable that will force modifications in the distribution plan is the number of doses Shelby County will receive from the state on a weekly basis.
No set number of doses will be available from one week to the next, officials said.
With fluctuating amounts of vaccine availability will come another logistical challenge — distribution. As the health department and the local health care sector continue the work of distributing the vaccine, they’ll have to prioritize getting the vaccine to two main categories of recipients — those that are most vulnerable to severe effects from COVID-19 and those most likely to spread the virus to others,.
And for both categories of people, the logistics will change often.
Last week, for instance, the health department had two “pod” sites at Lin
denwood Christian Church and at its building at 1826 Sycamore View Road. There was enough availability to offer the vaccine to Shelby County residents 75 and older. Many were able to obtain their first dose of the vaccine by showing up and providing proof of age.
But as of Monday morning, that availability had already changed, and the health department said it would only be distributing the vaccine within “congregate care” sites, such as nursing homes, due to an inadequate supply.
For the week of Jan. 4, Haushalter said the health department would focus on nursing home settings and bringing the vaccine to populations that cannot physically leave their residences.
While the state health department will announce over-arching guidance for who is eligible for a vaccine, it will be up to the Shelby County department to work out all logistical matters for local vaccination efforts.
After vaccine production and distribution ramps up, private health providers will then be able to start independently acquiring their own doses for their patients.
For now, Haushalter and Harris are encouraging those living in Shelby County to expect frequent changes; local media will be updated on a day-byday basis.
As of Jan. 1, close to 127,000 Tennesseans had been vaccinated, including 1.17% of the population of Shelby County, about 10,000 people, according to the health department vaccine tracker.
Health department spokesperson Joan Carr said the department would announce later this week when drivethrough vaccinations will resume for the 75 and older population.
While details about the COVID-19 vaccine availability and distribution remain murky, testing for the novel coronavirus is still underway.
For the next two weekends, a “surge” testing event will be held at Poplar Healthcare, 3495 Hacks Cross Road, from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. The testing will be available Jan. 9 and Jan. 10, and again Jan. 23 and Jan. 24.