The Hamilton County Health Department is now offering the COVID-19 vaccine to an amended list of both Phase 1a1 and Phase 1a2, and will begin to offer age-based vaccination in ten-year age brackets, starting with those aged 75 and above. This change begins Thursday, December 31.
According to the Tennessee Department of Health’s Vaccination Plan, updated December 30, the new phase lists are below. Items in italics are new additions:
Phase 1a1 includes:
- Hospital/Free-Standing Emergency Department Staff with Direct Patient Exposure and/or Exposure to Potentially-Infectious Materials
- Home health care staff
- COVID-19 mass testing site staff
- Student health providers
- Staff and Residents of Long Term Care Facilities, including Skilled Nursing Facilities, Assisted Living Centers, Homes for the Aged, DIDD Residential Centers, and Group Homes
- First Responders with Direct Public Exposure
- Individuals >18yrs who cannot live independently due to serious chronic medical condition or intellectual or developmental disability
Phase 1a2 includes:
Other Health Care Workers with Direct Patient Exposure
- Primary care providers and staff
- Outpatient specialty providers and staff working with acute patients
- Pharmacists and staff
- Patient transport
- Outpatient therapists
- Urgent visit center providers and staff
- Environmental services
- Oral health providers
- Behavioral health providers
- Outpatient laboratory staff working with COVID-19 specimens
- Funeral/mortuary workers with direct decedent contact
Age Group Bracket:
- 75 years or older, must be Hamilton County resident
- No specific medical conditions are required
The Health Department’s COVID-19 vaccination site is only for those who are actively working in or living in Hamilton County and who meet the current phase criteria.
Proof of meeting phase criteria or residency must be shown at the entrance gate. Proof consists of current work ID and document showing current address.
What: Hamilton County Health Department’s COVID-19 Vaccination Drive-Thru POD (Point of Dispensing)
Where: Enter the Tennessee Riverpark from the entrance near Chattanooga State (not the entrance near the Navy Reserve Center), 4301 Amnicola Highway, Chattanooga, TN
When: Thursday, December 31 from 9AM-5PM
Who: Individuals with Phase 1a1 or 1a2 status who live or work in Hamilton County. Hamilton County residents 75 years of age or older.
Information About the Second Dose:
When you receive the first dose of the vaccine, you will be given a “COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card.” This card tells you the vaccine manufacturer, the date you received it, where you received it, the date for 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 will be required. Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are two dose regimens. Moderna 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 since full protection against the COVID-19 disease depends upon getting both doses.
“We realize information is changing quickly about the vaccine distribution,” said Health Department Administrator Becky Barnes. “We ask for the continued patience of our residents as our staff works through the challenges this massive undertaking brings.”
To date, the Health Department has received 3,400 doses of Moderna vaccine and 975 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
As of Wednesday, December 30 at 5PM, the Health Department has administered 3,086 vaccine doses. The Health Department will administer the Pfizer vaccine at their COVID-19 vaccination POD on Thursday, December 31.
The Health Department will continue to announce when new phases will open up, what their criteria are, which Vaccine brand they will administer on that day, and any changes to current phases on their website. Visit health.hamiltontn.org and scroll to the COVID-19 Vaccine graphic at the top of the page.
If you are in one of these phases and have any of the following conditions, you may want to consult with your doctor before getting vaccinated.
- Severe allergies or previous reaction to a vaccine
- Pregnant or breastfeeding
If you are in one of these phases and any of the below apply to you, do not come until the condition is resolved.
- Have a fever or are ill
- Have received another vaccine within 14 days
- Are currently in isolation for COVID-19
The line at the vaccination site can be long and possibly take up to 2 hours in some cases. Please note that restroom facilities, food/drinks are not available at the site, so please come prepared. Remember to bring proof of phase status and ID.
The arrival of the vaccine and the large number of people being vaccinated is good news, however the bad news is that the Coronavirus is still very active in our community.
Health Department Daily Numbers for December 30, 2020
- 647: New COVID-19 Cases since yesterday (A record number)
- 908: Number of calls to the Hotline (A record number)
- 972: Number of people tested at Alstom (An average daily number)
- 1,188: Number of people vaccinated at the TN Riverpark (A record number)
For more information about COVID-19, call the Health Department’s hotline at (423) 209-8383, or visit their website at Health.HamiltonTN.org.
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