The Hamilton County Department of Health is now offering the COVID-19 vaccine in an amended list of both Phase 1a1 and Phase 1a2, and will begin offering age-based vaccination in ten-year-old age groups, starting with those 75 years and older . This change begins Thursday.
According to the Tennessee Department of Health Vaccination Plan, updated today (Wednesday), are the new phase lists below. Italic items are new additions:
Phase 1a1 includes:
• Hospital / independent emergency service personnel with direct exposure to patients and / or exposure to potentially infectious materials
• Home health care staff
• COVID-19 staff for mass test sites
• Student Health Providers
• Staff and residents of long-term care facilities
• Skilled nursing facilities
• Assistance Centers
• Homes for the elderly
• DIDD Residential Centers
• Group houses
• First responders with direct public exposure
• Individuals> 18 years of age who are unable to live independently due to a serious chronic medical condition or intellectual or developmental disability
Phase 1a2 includes:
Other healthcare professionals with direct exposure to patients
• Providers and staff of primary care
• Outpatients specialty providers and staff working with acute patients
• Pharmacists and staff
• Patient transport
• Outpatient therapists
• Urgent visitor centers and staff
• Environmental Services
• Oral Health Providers
• Behavioral Health Providers
• Outpatient laboratory staff working with COVID-19 samples
• Funeral / mortuary workers with direct contact with the pastor
Age group bracket:
• 75 years or older, must be a Hamilton County resident
• No specific medical conditions are required
The health department’s COVID-19 vaccination site is for those who work or live in Hamilton County only and which meet the current phase criteria.
Proof of compliance with criteria or accommodation phase must be shown at the entrance gate. Proof consists of current job ID and document containing the current address.
What: the COVID-19 vaccination by the Hamilton Department’s vaccination by means of POD (point of release)
Where: Enter the Tennessee River Park from the entrance near Chattanooga State (not the entrance near the Navy Reserve Center), 4301 Amnicola Highway, Chattanooga, TN
When: Thursday 31 December from 09:00 to 17:00
Who: Individuals with Phase 1a1 or 1a2 status who live or work in Hamilton County. Residents of Hamilton County 75 years or older.
Information on the second dose:
When you receive the first dose of the vaccine, you will receive a COVID-19 vaccination card. ‘This card tells the vaccine manufacturer, the date you received it, where you received it, the date of your second dose and other instructions. These cards are in English and Spanish.
It is up to the recipient to remember to get the second dose according to the date. No appointment is required. Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are two doses. Modern doses are taken 28 days apart and Pfizer doses are taken 21 days apart.
It is very important that your second dose is from the same manufacturer as the first dose (for example, you cannot have Pfizer for the first dose and then Moderna for the second dose). The second dose is very important, as full protection against COVID-19 disease depends on obtaining both doses.
“We realize that information is changing rapidly about the distribution of vaccines,” said Becky Barnes, administrator of the health department. “We demand the continued patience of our residents as our staff work through the challenges posed by this great enterprise.”
To date, the Department of Health has received 3,400 doses of Moderna vaccine and 975 doses of Pfizer vaccine.
As of Wednesday 30 December at 17:00, the Department of Health has administered 3086 doses of vaccines. The Department of Health will administer the Pfizer vaccine at their COVID-19 vaccine POD on Thursday, December 31stst.
The Department of Health will continue to announce when new phases open, what their criteria are, what vaccine brand they will administer on the day, and any changes to the current phases on their website. Visit http://health.hamiltontn.org/ and browse to the COVID-19 vaccine graph at the top of the page.
If you are in one of these stages and have one of the following conditions, you can consult with your doctor before being vaccinated.
• Severe allergies or previous reaction to a vaccine
• Pregnant or breastfeeding
If you are in any of these phases and any of the following apply to you, do not come until the condition is resolved.
• Has a fever or is ill
• Did you receive a vaccine again within 14 days
• Is currently in isolation for COVID-19
The queue at the vaccination can be long and in some cases can take up to 2 hours. Please note that toilet facilities, food / drinks are not available on the premises, so come prepared. Remember to provide proof of phase status and ID.
The arrival of the vaccine and the large number of people being vaccinated is good news, but the bad news is that the Coronavirus is still very active in our community.
Health Department’s daily numbers for 30 December 2020
647 New cases COVID-19 since yesterday (a record number)
908 Hotline calls (a record number)
972 Number of people tested at Alstom (average daily number)
1,188 Number of people vaccinated in the TN Riverpark (a record number)
For more information on COVID-19, call the Department of Health hotline at (423) 209-8383, or visit their Web site at Health.HamiltonTN.org.
To stay up to date on all updates related to COVID-19, subscribe to the Hamilton County Health Department mailing list at https: //landing.mailerlite.