All Tennessee adults will be eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine no later than April 5th, state officials announced Monday.
Late last week, local leaders asked state officials to open COVID-19 vaccines in Shelby County to all adults. State officials released a statement allowing counties to move through vaccine phases as they choose. However, it was not immediately clear when or if Shelby County could begin offering shots to all adults.
As of Monday morning, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland was still saying on Facebook that “we are in Phase 2a/2b, and this includes citizens 55 and older, those with co-morbidities, and those in critical infrastructure industries.”
The decision from state officials was based on two things, according to Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey: low uptake and growing supply.
Piercey said uptake of the vaccine has been uneven across the state. Shot appointments were less than 20 percent filled in rural West Tennessee. But slots were more than 80 percent filled in the upper Cumberland region of Middle Tennessee, she said. For this, she said anyone who cannot find an appointment in their home county can travel to another county for a vaccine.
Piercey announced a growing supply of vaccine doses headed for Tennessee. This week, she said, the state received about 311,000 doses. Next week, thanks to a resuming supply of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the state is expected to get about 350,000 doses, a 30 percent bump from week to week.
