| Nashville Tennessean
Tennesseans 65 and older, K-12 school teachers and daycare staff will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations starting on Monday, Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey announced on Tuesday.
The increased eligibility comes as the state health department anticipates an increase in weekly vaccine supplies in the coming weeks, despite what could be a three-day delay in shipping and distribution due to the winter weather, said Piercey.
Tennessee is entering phase 1b of its vaccination plan, a stage that covers residents 65 and older, K-12 and childcare teams and first responders. Air traffic control personnel and air cargo personnel have been added to the updated vaccination plan phase, said Piercey.
Some rural Tennessee counties, such as Warren and Macon, began vaccinating teachers as they moved quickly through the phases. But teachers in more populous districts, like Metro Nashville Public Schools and Shelby County Schools, do not share the same access due to limited vaccine supplies.
In Nashville, teachers will begin receiving vaccines from Saturday or earlier. Some teachers at Shelby County Schools also received vaccines on Monday morning, as vaccination shelters closed with snow and 1,200 available doses were at risk of being discarded.
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Piercey acknowledged that the vaccine distribution process is slower in some counties than in others, but said the move to the next phase “will remove all barriers” for teachers to be vaccinated. The department administered more than 1 million vaccines, she said.
“We are removing all eligibility barriers and, when it comes to supply, we never restrict county boundaries,” she said.
The state is also about to receive more doses of vaccines to accommodate growing demand, she said.
As President Joe Biden’s administration increases weekly vaccine distribution to states and pharmacies, Tennessee saw its weekly doses jump from about 80,000 in January to more than 100,000 this week, according to Piercey. The state expects a 10% increase in allocations next week for at least three weeks, she said, which would bring the total up to 12,000.
“I predict that we will have more than 110,000 doses in the next three weeks,” she said.
Federal agencies will also review Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, which is 66% effective, at the end of next week, Piercey said. The vaccine may be available in early March, she said. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires one dose and does not have the same strict storage requirements as the two-dose Pfizer vaccine.
Winter weather interrupts vaccine distribution, causes shipping delays
Despite the positive outlook, the winter storm that brought freezing rain, hail and snow delayed the delivery and distribution of the vaccine, Piercey said.
Vaccination centers in Middle Tennessee were closed due to cold temperatures and dangerous road conditions, and vaccination appointments were canceled or delayed.
Shipment of the vaccine is also delayed by about three days, Piercey said, but she did not know how many doses were delayed.
“We expect there will be some or maybe three days of delays, and that will make us have to double some next week,” she said.
But Piercey said the delay is not a cause for concern. Three days late does not mean a reduction in supply, she said.
“We are not going to have a disruption in supply after all,” she said. “It can be postponed.”
The department will contact those who have made appointments for this week to reschedule, Piercey said. When asked if the delay would affect those who need a second dose, she said being days late should not be a concern. Experts are recommending a three-week window between two Pfizer vaccines and four weeks between Moderna vaccines.
“That date, three or four weeks after your first dose, is the minimum date,” she said. “You have up to six weeks to receive this (second) dose. Therefore, a delay of two, three or even seven days will not negatively affect someone’s immunity.”
Pregnant women added; new online appointment program
In the updated vaccination plan, Piercey said that pregnant women will be included in phase 1c, the next available phase.
“Pregnancy … makes you a little more susceptible to infections, (e) COVID-19 infection during pregnancy can pose a risk for both mother and baby,” she said.
Vaccine testing has not been conducted on pregnant women, Piercey said, but they can consult their doctors before receiving the vaccines and will become eligible if they choose to be vaccinated.
The department also implemented an online appointment system on Monday morning, which allows candidates to book vaccines directly at county health departments, rather than simply applying. Applicants must complete their demographic information online and select a date and time for their nominations.
“Before yesterday, people would come in and just sign up, enter their information and wait for someone to call them,” she said. “With this new scheduling software, you can book your appointment directly.”
Qualified candidates can access the system at covid19.tn.gov.
Talk to Yue Stella Yu at [email protected] or 615-913-0945. Follow her on Twitter at @bystellayu_tnsn.