Tennesseans Aged 55+ and Those in Phase 2 Now Eligible
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Governor Bill Lee today announced all Tennessee adults will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination no later than April 5. Tennesseans aged 55 and older and those in Phase 2 of the state’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan are eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations effective Mar. 18.
Governor Lee shared the announcement in a video this morning: https://www.facebook.com/GovBillLee/videos/753448335309638. By April 5, all Tennesseans age 16 and over will become eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. Eligibility for those in Phase 3 of the state’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan will run concurrently with age-based eligibility. Phase 3 includes residents and staff members of congregate living facilities including college dormitories, group homes and shelters and those in the corrections system. Phase 3 also includes grocery store workers who were not eligible for vaccination based on previous age or risk-based categories. To help ensure vaccines are available to these populations, direct allocations of vaccines will be made to these facilities.
Tennessee continues to see increasing supplies of COVID-19 vaccines, which allows the state to rapidly accelerate eligibility to receive the vaccination. TDH requests every dose of COVID-19 vaccine made available to the state:
2.9 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been delivered to Tennessee providers to date
Expecting approximately 311,000 vaccine doses week of March 22
Expecting new allocations of Johnson and Johnson vaccine week of March 29, which will increase weekly supplies by 30 percent
“As we’ve promised, we’re able to expand our COVID-19 vaccine eligibility as vaccine supplies have increased and we’ve made substantial progress in protecting those most at risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19,” said Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP. “Tennessee will now open COVID-19 vaccination to all eligible adults well ahead of the federal goal of May 1.”
Expanding COVID-19 Vaccination Eligibility
Effective Mar. 18, Tennesseans aged 55 and older and those in Phase 2 of the state’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan are eligible. Phase 2 includes those who work in settings that have experienced high numbers of COVID-19 infection clusters, and whose work is critical to continuing vital state operations. These groups include:
Child welfare and adult protective services agency workers with direct public exposure
Commercial food manufacturing workers
Commercial agriculture workers involved in production and safety of food supplies and commodities
Corrections system workers not previously covered under Phase 1a1
Public transit drivers and maintenance personnel
People working in other transportation, public infrastructure, telecommunications and utility industries