NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) – Tennessee has some of the worst COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country, outperforming all two states except in the percentage of its fully vaccinated adult population. NewsChannel 5 Inquiry discover.
Tonight at 6: NewsChannel 5 visits the country with the lowest vaccination rates
Data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) show that Tennessee ranks 48th out of 50 states in the percentage of adults who are fully vaccinated, 48th in the percentage of adults who received at least one dose, 47th in the number of doses given per 100,000 applied. residents, and 45th in the percentage of older persons aged 65 and older who have now been vaccinated.
“I am concerned about the numbers for obvious reasons,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an expert in infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said.
“We would like to get to the point where we call ‘herd immunity’ – where it is much more difficult for the virus to spread among each other because such a large part of the adult population has been vaccinated – and we are not close yet . ”
Tennessee 48de under vaccinations for adults
The CDC data show that only 23.4 percent of adults in Tennessee are fully vaccinated. Only Alabama and Georgia have worse records (with 22.1 and 21.4 percent, respectively).
Another southern state, Arkansas, is in fifth place with Utah.
In contrast, Alaska leads the country with nearly 40 percent of its fully vaccinated adults, followed by New Mexico with 38.2 percent and South Dakota with 37.8 percent.
Rhode Island and Maine round out the top five.
Tennessee’s northern neighbor, Kentucky, is 22nd in the country, with 31.1 percent of its adults fully vaccinated.
In addition, only 38.8 percent of Tennessee adults received at least one dose of vaccine, with Alabama and Mississippi alone showing worse numbers than the Volunteer State at the front.
But New Hampshire surpasses many other states in the percentage of adults receiving at least one dose, according to CDC data, a success rate of 65.2 percent.
New Mexico, Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts are next in line.
Kentucky is 27th in the country with 46.6 percent of adults receiving at least one dose.
Tennessee 45th among senior vaccinations
Tennessee is also 45th in the country in the percentage of adults aged 65+ who have been fully vaccinated and the percentage of elderly people who have received at least one dose.
The CDC says 54.9 percent of Tennessee seniors are fully vaccinated, compared to a staggering 78.4 percent in Rhode Island.
“We started like a house on fire, but we seem to have slipped,” Schaffner said.
The shortage of vaccinations in Tennessee cannot be blamed for a shortage of vaccines.
The latest CDC numbers show that Tennessee received 4,671,560 doses of vaccines, but administered only 3,299,283 of them.
That is 67.8 percent, which puts the state at 43rd among the 50 states that use the vaccine supply.
It is unknown how many doses Tennessee would have available that he simply did not ask to be sent to the state.
“The eager beavers are still coming out, those first fans,” Schaffner said.
‘But especially in our rural areas – and there are a lot of people living in the countryside – there are people who do not want to act for vaccination. We have enough appointment space, and those appointments are not filled. ”
Country-by-country comparisons
CDC data show that small Moore County – home to Jack Daniel’s Distillery – has the worst COVID-19 vaccination rates in the state’s 95 counties.
Only 10.5 percent of adults in Moore County are fully vaccinated, compared to 33.8 percent in Loudon County, outside of Knoxville, and 29.5 percent in Williamson County.
Metro Nashville-Davidson County comes in 19th with 24.8 percent fully vaccinated.
Under the age of 65 and older, 26.3 percent of the elderly in Moore County were fully vaccinated, well ahead of the 72.7 percent in Williamson and Meigs counties.
That compares with 59.7 percent in Davidson, which is 13th.
Moore Mayor Bonnie Mayor questioned the numbers, pointing out that Moore County shares zip codes with several neighboring counties.
Yet she admitted there are skeptics.
“The same argument or the same fear you hear everywhere, it’s the same in Moore County,” Lewis said.
“You know, has enough research been done? Is it going to change my DNA? Whatever that discussion is. But then there are also some people who do not want two appointments for something, and therefore they will wait on the Johnson & Johnson and get their one chance and go. ‘
That was before federal and state governments interrupted the distribution of the J&J vaccine.
What is the solution?
Dr Schaffner said the answer is: “leadership, leadership and leadership.”
The Tennessee government, Bill Lee, is more subdued in his comments about the COVID vaccines than other political figures. The Williamson County Republican says he received a vaccine, but Lee, unlike many of his colleagues, did not distribute photos of himself.
The state also spent millions of dollars on an advertising campaign urging Tennesseans to wear masks, but did not produce any ads advocating vaccinations.
“I think we need our political leaders, both at the state and at the 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 vaccinations.
But Mayor Lewis said that while she was not ashamed to make her own decision to be vaccinated, her advocacy stopped.
“I’m not going to change anyone’s plan,” Lewis said. “I think people are pretty educated. They will find out the facts for their own families. ”
NewsChannel 5 Inquiry result, “So if people believe something that is not true, do not you think it’s your job to try to convince them of science?”
“I shared the science,” Lewis insisted. ‘But as for’ convinced ‘, I’m not going to do my best to prove you wrong, okay? This is not my job. ”
Possible concerns if trends continue
Dr Schaffner said he was concerned about what could happen if more was not done to combat misinformation in the state.
“Throughout the state of Tennessee, if we can’t get these numbers, our well-vaccinated populations will be stained, and they will be relatively spared,” he explained.
‘But in the under-vaccinated section, this virus will survive. It will be constantly transferred and taken by neighbors and friends and family members and placed in the hospital. ”
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