NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) – Tennessee will begin Phase 1c of the COVID-19 vaccine launch Monday, Tennessee Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey announced.
Phase 1c includes residents 16 years of age or older who have high-risk medical conditions, relatives of these people, pregnant women, and family contacts with pregnant women.
While some counties in the state will be ready to move on to this phase next week, not all counties are in the same vaccine distribution phase. Metro’s public health department began offering vaccines to adults ages 65 to 70 late last week. Residents are asked to consult their local health department to see at what stage the county is.
Piercey said the state will be able to move into this phase thanks to a large projected surplus of vaccine doses that will reach the state over the next three weeks.
Tennessee is expected to receive 54,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which only requires one shot, on Wednesday. The next shipment of the company’s vaccine is scheduled for the week of March 22nd. The state will also receive 192,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna this week, both of which require two doses.
Tennesseans can visit the state’s COVID-19 website for information on scheduling an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine.