NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) – Nashville Mayor John Cooper has announced that Metro will move to the next phase of its COVID-19 vaccines next week.
Cooper said Thursday during the weekly Metro COVID meeting that, starting Monday, Davidson County would move to Phase 1c for vaccination. This includes people over the age of 16 who are considered high risk in terms of health complications from the virus.
Some of these risk factors include: those with asthma, hypertension, diabetes, those undergoing cancer treatment, organ transplant recipients, and other conditions listed online here.
Phase 1c also includes family contacts of high-risk children under 16, pregnant women, and family contacts with pregnant women.
This new phase covers 300,000 people. Metro began vaccinating residents over the age of 65 last week. Click here to make an appointment.
Cooper said the recent FDA approval of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine means Metro can expect to get an even larger weekly supply of vaccines as production and distribution increase. Metro will receive 13,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week, in addition to the 11,500 doses of Pfizer and Moderna.
“This rise and the ability of public health to get shots in the arms quickly and efficiently makes it possible to move to 1c,” Mayor Cooper said.
Check out the full Metro COVID briefing:
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What is COVID-19 (also known as the new coronavirus?)
According to the World Health Organization, coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause diseases ranging from colds to more serious illnesses. Examples include Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV). A new coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. COVID-19 means “coronavirus disease 2019,” which was when this coronavirus strain was discovered.
What are the symptoms?
The CDC states that confirmed patients presenting with 2019-nCoV present with mild to severe respiratory disease with:
- Cough
- Difficulty breathing or difficulty breathing
Or at least two of the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Shivers
- Repeated agitation with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- A sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
At this time, the CDC believes that symptoms could appear as soon as two days after exposure, or up to 14 days.
Prevention
The CDC recommends “common sense” measures such as:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with sick people.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when you are around others.
- Cover your cough or sneezing with a cloth and then throw it in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.