KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Several counties around East Tennessee are offering drive-through clinics where people can get the COVID-19 vaccine. However, the Knox County Health Department said that it does not plan to hold similar events.
They said that they expected demand would outpace the supply of the COVID-19 vaccine, and that they are still working to effectively distribute it. Officials also said that they are working to create a waitlist system, where people can wait for their turn to get a shot.
However, they also said that the system would not be feasible until the supply of the vaccine is back up.
"For the foreseeable future, demand is going to outpace supply, and there's nothing anyone can do about that," said Dr. Martha Buchanan, the Director of the Knox County Health Department. "There's nothing the health department can do about that. There's nothing the hospitals can do about that or the state."
Officials said that they understand it can be frustrating for vaccine appointments to get booked too quickly for many people to sign up. However, they also said that it can only open appointments when it has the COVID-19 vaccine available.