NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) – Tennessee has some of the worst COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country, following all but two states in the percentage of its adult population considered fully vaccinated, according to an analysis by NewsChannel 5 investigates uncovered.
Tonight at 6: NewsChannel 5 visits the county with the worst vaccination rates
Data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) show that Tennessee ranks 48th out of 50 states in the percentage of fully vaccinated adults, 48th in the percentage of adults who have received at least one dose and 47th in the number of doses administered per 100,000 residents, and the 45th in the percentage of people over 65 or older vaccinated.
“I am concerned about these figures for obvious reasons,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
We would like to get to this point which we call ‘herd immunity’, where it is much more difficult for the virus to spread among us as such a high proportion of the adult population is vaccinated, and we are not yet close to that. “.
Tennessee 48th among vaccines in adults
CDC data show that only 23.4 percent of Tennessee adults have been completely vaccinated. Only Alabama and Georgia have the worst records (with 22.1 and 21.4 percent, respectively).
Another southern state, Arkansas, is in the top five, along with Utah.
By contrast, Alaska leads the country with nearly 40% of adults fully vaccinated, followed by New Mexico, 38.2%, and South Dakota, 37.8%.
Rhode Island and Maine complete the top five.
The northern neighbor of Tennessee, Kentucky, is the number 22 in the country, with 31.1 percent of its adults fully vaccinated.
In addition, only 38.8 percent of Tennessee adults have received at least one dose of vaccine, and only Alabama and Mississippi record worse numbers than the state volunteer on that front.
But New Hampshire far outperforms other states in the percentage of adults receiving at least one dose, with a success rate of 65.2%, according to CDC data.
New Mexico, Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts are as follows.
Kentucky ranks 27th in the country with 46.6% of adults receiving at least one dose.
Tennessee 45th among vaccines for seniors
Tennessee is also 45th in the country in the percentage of adults over 65 who have been fully vaccinated and the percentage of seniors who received at least one dose.
The CDC says 54.9 percent of Tennessee seniors have been completely vaccinated, compared to a staggering 78.4 percent in Rhode Island.
“We started out as a lit house, but it looks like we’ve slipped,” Schaffner said.
You can’t blame the lack of vaccines on Tennessee’s vaccination debits.
The latest CDC numbers show that Tennessee has received 4,671,560 doses of vaccine, but has only administered 3,299,283.
This is 67.8 percent, placing the state in 43rd place among the 50 states in the use of vaccine supply.
It is unknown how many doses Tennessee could have available that simply did not request shipment to the state.
“Anxious beavers still come out, those first acceptors,” Schaffner said.
“But especially in our rural areas, and many people who live in rural areas, there are people who do not approach vaccination. We have ample space for appointments and these appointments are not being fulfilled ”.
County-by-county comparisons
CDC data show that small Moore County, home of Jack Daniel Distillery, has the worst COVID-19 vaccination rates in the state’s 95 counties.
Only 10.5 percent of adults in Moore County have been completely vaccinated, compared to 33.8 percent in Loudon County, outside Knoxville, and 29.5 percent in Williamson County.
Nashville-Davidson Metro County ranks 19th with 24.8 percent fully vaccinated.
Among those 65 and older, 26.3 percent of Moore County seniors have been completely vaccinated, far from 72.7 percent in Williamson and Meigs counties.
That compares to Davidson’s 59.7 percent, who ranks 13th.
Moore County Mayor Bonnie Mayor questioned the numbers and noted that Moore County shares zip codes with several neighboring counties.
Still, he admitted there are skeptics.
“The same argument, or the same fear you feel everywhere, is the same in Moore County,” Lewis said.
“You know, enough research was done? Will it change my DNA? Whatever that discussion is. But there are also some people who don’t want two dates for nothing, so they will wait for Johnson & Johnson and get their only chance.
This was before the federal and state governments paused in the distribution of the J&J vaccine.
What is the solution?
Dr. Schaffner said the answer is, “leadership, leadership and leadership.”
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has been more off in his comments about COVID vaccines than other political figures. The Williamson County Republican says he received a vaccine, but unlike many of his peers, Lee did not distribute photos of him setting the example.
The state also spent millions of dollars on an advertising campaign urging Tennesseans to wear masks, but has not produced any commercials advocating for vaccines.
“I think we need our political leaders, both at the state and local level, to make unequivocal statements that everyone should be vaccinated, everyone!” Schaffner said.
The infectious disease expert also called on religious and business leaders to call for vaccines.
But Mayor Lewis said that while she has not been shy in presenting her own decision to get vaccinated, this is where her defense stops.
“I don’t do my job of changing someone’s mind,” Lewis said. “I think people have learned a lot. They will find out the facts for their own families. “
NewsChannel 5 investigates he continued, “So if people believe something that’s not true, don’t you think it’s your job to try to convince them of science?”
“I’ve shared science,” Lewis insisted. “But when it comes to ‘convincing’, I’m not going to go out of my way to prove you wrong, am I? That’s not my job.”
Potential concern if trends continue
Dr. Schaffner said he worries about what might happen if nothing more is done to combat misinformation across the state.
“Across the state of Tennessee, if we fail to increase those numbers, we will have chunks of our population that are well vaccinated, they will be relatively spared,” he explained.
“But in the low-vaccinated part, this virus will live. It will continue to be transmitted and will take neighbors, friends and relatives and will take them to the hospital ”.
Special section: COVID research