MADISONVILLE, Tenn. — A health care clinic in Madisonville has begun offering $100 incentives for people in Monroe County to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as new cases and hospitalizations continue to rise rapidly across East Tennessee at large.
Chota Community Health Services' clinic in Madisonville will be offering a $100 cash incentive to people who get a COVID-19 vaccine for the next two weeks on weekdays from August 16 to 27. The incentive is only available to Monroe County residents with a Madisonville, Tellico Plains, Vonore or Sweetwater address. Chota said people will need to show their photo ID or proof of residency to be able to receive the $100.
The clinic said it is using both the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines. It said the incentive will be paid once a person gets fully vaccinated, which means one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two doses of the Moderna vaccine.
Monroe County residents who would like to take advantage of the incentive should call (423) 442-2622 to schedule an appointment at the Madisonville location.
The cash incentives appear to have encouraged quite a few people to get the vaccine, as people in the area said traffic was congested along Isbill Road and New Highway 68 for hours Tuesday morning. The clinic said its walk-ins were full around 9 a.m. -- roughly an hour after it opened its doors.
Statewide, COVID-19 hospitalizations are surging at record pace alongside new infections to highs not seen since the winter surge. According to the Tennessee Department of Health, a total of 2,336 Tennesseans were concurrently hospitalized as of August 17, 704 of which were in the ICU and 419 of which were on a ventilator.
While comparatively fewer than adults, the number of Tennessee children hospitalized for COVID-19 has seen a rapid spike in the past two weeks, hitting an all-time high Tuesday with 53 hospitalizations -- 15 of which were in the ICU and 7 of which who were on a ventilator. Health officials said children largely have seen fewer serious COVID infections than adults, but continue to caution this does not mean children are impervious to the virus. In particular, unvaccinated children with high risk health conditions such as asthma or autoimmune disorders are at greater risk for serious infections.
