Shelby County Health Department/Facebook
Shelby County Health Department nurse Janice Stahl, RN was first in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Nurse Stahl provides COVID-19 testing at the Collierville clinic and Shelby Farms clinic.
State officials launched a new tool Tuesday to help residents gauge when they might be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.
Tennessee Department of Health
The tool follows vaccine distribution phasing set out in the state’s vaccine plan. The plan gives priority to healthcare workers and the elderly.
The new digital tool asks a series of questions (similar to any online questionnaire or poll) to place residents in their phase and give them an idea of when they can get the virus vaccination.
Questions include:
“Are you a first responder?”
“Do you work in a hospital or healthcare facility?”
“Do you have exposure to potentially infectious patients or materials?”
“Do you work at a mass testing site?”
Past early questions that, generally, weed out healthcare workers from the rest, the tool asks about age and underlying health conditions (like cancer, chronic kidney disease, or obesity). Going down along the state’s priority phases, the tool asks if the responder works in public transportation, a post office, a grocery store, or correctional facility.
If respondents answer no to all of those questions, the tool tells them that they will be vaccinated according to their age. 
Tennessee Department of Health
They can, then, subscribe to get a text alert form the state when they are ready to get the shot. Respondents can also follow a link that will show them, based on information and drug doses available now, a timeline of when they might expect to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Tennessee Department of Health
“In addition to creating a strong infrastructure for distribution, we’re currently one of the top states in the nation for total doses administered, vaccinating more than 150,000 Tennesseans in just two weeks,” said Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. “This tool is yet another step we’re taking to provide Tennesseans with critical information as our vaccine supply increases and more phases become eligible.”
