NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) – Tennessee received its first shipment Monday of the COVID-19 vaccine for use as an emergency safety supply, according to the Department of Health.
The state expects to receive 56,550 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 on Wednesday, which will then be sent Thursday to 28 locations to treat 74 hospitals. A second shipment of 56,500 doses is expected to be left three weeks later.
However, Monday’s 975 vaccine shipment will be used as a backup in case the hospital vaccine doses are damaged.
“We have been preparing for months to distribute approved vaccines and we believe this will be a safe and effective tool in the fight against COVID-19,” Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said in a statement.
Piercey added that the state’s early supply of vaccines would be “limited,” but stressed that the state was in “constant contact with hospitals to prepare the administration for our front-line health workers and residents.” and staff at long-term care facilities and staff who decide to receive it. ” “.
The launch of the Pfizer vaccine, the first approved by the Food and Drug Administration, results in the largest vaccination effort in U.S. history, according to health officials who will be accepted by the U.S. public. although some have expressed initial skepticism or concern. On Monday, shots were fired at health workers and residents of residences.
The Pfizer shot requires two rounds, which means people who get the vaccines will now get a second shot in about three weeks.
Vaccine shipments arrive as Nashville reported its record number of new virus cases in a single day, with 1,311 new cases Monday.
City health officials say more than 50 percent of these cases were of those tested on Dec. 7, and said in a statement the rise was a “clear indicator of the post-Action increase in thank you for being seen in the US ”
Statewide, health officials reported more than 10,300 new cases and 79 deaths on Monday. To date, more than 5,540 Tennessees have died from the virus. According to Johns Hopkins researchers, this death toll is the 16th highest in the country.
The Department of Correction said 29 state inmates have died due to complications from COVID-19, however, the state said some of the deaths were awaiting official confirmation of the cause of death of a medical examiner. More than 60 inmates have tested positive for the virus.
There are currently 2,906 Tennesseans hospitalized with COVID-19-related symptoms. Of those hospitalized, 359 are with ventilators.
Meanwhile, officials at Memphis Veterans Affairs Medical Center said the hospital has been chosen as one of 37 VA sites to receive early doses of the vaccine for its ability to vaccinate large numbers of people and store vaccines in extremely cold temperatures.
Shelby County, which includes Memphis, recorded an additional 998 cases of the virus on Monday, one of the highest one-day increases since the pandemic began, health department officials said. Hospitals report a shortage of acute and intensive care beds and a shortage of staff.
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Follow the AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
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Associated Press writer Adrian Sainz contributed to this report from Memphis, Tennessee.