The Hamilton County Department of Health is now offering the COVID-19 vaccine for an amended Phase 1a1 and Phase 1a2 list, and will begin offering age-based vaccination in the 10-year age group, starting with those 75 and older. above. This change starts Thursday.
According Tennessee Department of Health Vaccination Plan, updated today (Wednesday), the new phase lists are below. Italicized items are new additions:
Phase 1a1 includes:
• Hospital staff / independent emergency department with direct patient exposure and / or exposure to potentially infectious materials
• Home health team
• COVID-19 mass test site team
• Health students
• Long-term care facility staff and residents
• Qualified nursing facilities
• Assisted Living Centers
• Homes for the Elderly
• DIDD Residential Centers
• Group houses
• First respondents with direct public exposure
• Individuals over 18 who cannot live independently due to a serious chronic medical condition or intellectual or developmental disability
Phase 1a2 includes:
Other health professionals with direct exposure to the patient
• Primary care providers and staff
• Outpatient specialty providers and staff working with acute patients
• Pharmacists and staff
• Patient transport
• Outpatient therapists
• Urgent visit center providers and staff
• Environmental services
• Oral health providers
• Behavioral health providers
• Outpatient laboratory team working with COVID-19 samples
• Funeral / mortuary employees with direct contact with the dead
Age range:
• 75 years or older, must be a Hamilton County resident
• No specific medical condition is necessary
The Department of Health’s COVID-19 vaccination site is only for those who are actively working or living in Hamilton County and that meet the criteria of the current phase.
Proof of compliance with the phase or residency criteria must be presented at the entrance gate. The proof consists of the current job ID and the document showing the current address.
What it is: Hamilton County Health Department COVID-19 Vaccination Drive-Thru POD (Point of Dispensing)
Where: Enter the Tennessee Riverpark through the entrance near Chattanooga State (not through the entrance near the Navy Reserve Center), 4301 Amnicola Highway, Chattanooga, TN
When: Thursday, December 31 from 9 am to 5 pm
Who: Individuals with Phase 1a1 or 1a2 status who live or work in Hamilton County. Hamilton County residents 75 years of age or older.
Information about the second dose:
When you receive the first dose of the vaccine, you will receive a “COVID-19 Vaccination Registration Card”. This card informs the vaccine manufacturer, the date you received it, where you received it, the date of your second dose and other instructions. These cards are in English and Spanish.
It is up to the recipient to remember to receive the second dose according to the date. No appointment is required. Both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are two-dose regimens. Moderna doses are administered 28 days apart and Pfizer doses 21 days apart.
It is very important that your second dose is from the same manufacturer as the first dose (for example, you cannot have Pfizer for the first dose and then Modern for the second dose). The second dose is very important, as total protection against COVID-19 disease depends on receiving both doses.
“We realized that information is changing rapidly about the distribution of the vaccine,” said Department of Health administrator Becky Barnes. “We ask for the continued patience of our residents while our team works with the challenges that this huge undertaking brings.”
To date, the Health Department has received 3,400 doses of the Modern vaccine and 975 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
Until Wednesday, December 30, at 5 pm, the Ministry of Health administered 3,086 doses of vaccine. The Department of Health will administer the Pfizer vaccine in its COVID-19 vaccination POD on Thursday, December 31st.
The Department of Health will continue to announce when new phases will open, what are its criteria, which brand of vaccine will be administered that day and any changes to the current phases on its website. Visit http://health.hamiltontn.org/ and scroll to the COVID-19 Vaccine chart at the top of the page.
If you are in one of these stages and have any of the following conditions, consult your doctor before being vaccinated.
• Serious allergies or previous reaction to a vaccine
• Pregnant or breastfeeding
If you are in one of these phases and any of the situations below apply to you, do not come until the condition is resolved.
• Have a fever or are sick
• Received another vaccine in 14 days
• Currently isolated for COVID-19
The line at the vaccination site can be long and possibly take up to 2 hours in some cases. Please note that toilets and drinks are not available on site, so come prepared. Remember to bring proof of stage status and ID.
The arrival of the vaccine and the large number of people vaccinated is good news, but the bad news is that the Coronavirus is still very active in our community.
Department of Health Daily Numbers for December 30, 2020
647 new COVID-19 cases since yesterday (A record number)
908 Number of calls to the hotline (A record number)
972 Number of people tested at Alstom (an average daily number)
1,188 Number of people vaccinated at TN Riverpark (record number A)
For more information about COVID-19, call the Department of Health hotline at (423) 209-8383 or visit the website at Health.HamiltonTN.org.
To stay up to date on all updates related to COVID-19, subscribe to the Hamilton County Health Department mailing list at https: //landing.mailerlite.