The availability of COVID-19 vaccinations is really picking up in East Tennessee! In addition to county health departments, vaccinations are usually available at hospitals and at retail outlets like Walmart and Kroger.
When you qualify for the vaccine, you should check multiple sources for availability. If you place your name on a waiting list, you should go back and remove it if you elect to get the vaccine somewhere else.
Who is eligible?
By April 5, all adults in Tennessee will be eligible for a vaccine. The state announced that all Tennesseans ages 16 and older will be eligible by that date, along with people in Phase 3, which 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
They join people who were eligible in previous phases:
Where do I get the vaccine?
The CDC has partnered with medical organizations and health departments to provide a COVID-19 vaccine finder that allows people to search by location and vaccine brand across Tennessee. You can find that resource at this link: https://vaccinefinder.org/
Walters State Community College and Crescent Center Drugs will continue to provide Moderna vaccines as they become available.
Pellissippi State Community College is pausing operations at its Blount County Campus drive-thru vaccination clinic after the CDC and FDA have recommended a hold on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
College staff will be contacting those who have made appointments to receive their vaccinations this Friday and Saturday.
Pellissippi State is in contact with the Tennessee Department of Health and is awaiting further guidance as the CDC and FDA review data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the Johson & Johnson vaccine, according to a press release.
College staff is exploring alternate solutions to moving forward with operating the drive-thru vaccination clinic that opened on April 9.
Covenant Health is offering appointments for COVID-19 vaccine clinics as it becomes available. Those eligible for the vaccine are encouraged to visit www.covenanthealth.com/COVID-19-vaccinations for information on when Covenant Health will open more appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine. As of March 29, Covenant Health is offering the COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer. The appointments are open to those 16 and up. The Pfizer vaccine is the only one authorized for those 16 and 17 years old.
East Tennessee Children's Hospital continues to make limited supplies of Pfizer vaccine available for the public. If you miss those slots, keep checking back here for future opportunities.
Kroger is now offering vaccine appointments at its pharmacies across Tennessee.
Walmart locations across Tennessee began offering vaccine appointments. That includes several locations in East Tennessee, including ones in Sevierville, Knoxville, Oneida, Murfreesboro, and more. If you want to make an appointment, first create a Walmart account here, then actually schedule an appointment at your preferred location here.
The University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville also announced that it will be taking appointments for vaccinations of eligible people each week on Thursdays at 1 p.m. at this link or by calling 865-305-6225.
The Tennessee Department of Health will operate a drive-thru vaccine clinic on the main campus of Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) in Harrogate beginning on Tuesday, April 6, and will continue to operate on weekdays indefinitely. You can make an appointment through the health department website or by calling 866-442-5301.
The University of Tennessee will host a public COVID-19 vaccination clinic Thursday, April 29, from 8 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
UT officials said that recipients will receive Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Because it is a single-dose vaccine, only one appointment is required. Do not make an appointment if you have already received the first dose of another COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the FDA and CDC, women younger than 50 years old should be aware of the rare risk of blood clots with low platelets after receiving this vaccine. Other COVID-19 vaccines are available where this risk has not been seen. If you have questions about this risk, please speak with a health care provider before receiving the vaccine.
The Tennessee Department of Health announced Friday that it would resume administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
The decision came after an analysis of the risks and benefits of the vaccine. The state temporarily paused administration of it after finding cases of rare but serious blood clots in people who received the vaccine. Officials said 15 cases were reported, and that the risk of developing the condition is around 7 in 1 million for women between 18-49 years old.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices reviewed those cases and voted to recommend resuming administration of the vaccine without restrictions for people 18 years old and older.
Knox County
Knox County is now vaccinating people 16 and over.
The Knox County Health Department (KCHD) has been operating an online registration portal and waiting list for the COVID-19 vaccine. That waiting list will be taken down on March 29 so that KCHD can get those on the scheduled.
Starting on Monday, April 5, people will be able to schedule an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine through the health department's website, or by calling 311 or the Health Department at 865-215-5555.
KCHD has opened a vaccination site at the old Food City location at 4216 North Broadway. It is open to people with appointments only.
For county teachers, Knox County Schools said it has partnered with East Tennessee Children's Hospital to administer the vaccine to employees. A registration process for those interested has been implemented within KCS.
All other local counties
According to the Tennessee Department of Health, the county health departments in the East Region is providing COVID-19 vaccinations by appointment as supplies become available.
Tennessee launched an online vaccination appointment scheduling portal for 89 of Tennessee's 95 counties under the Tennessee Department of Health (excluding Knox County).
Spanish Version: ¿Dónde puedo obtener la vacuna del COVID-19 en el área Este de TN?
With numerous pharmacies and hospitals now offering vaccine appointments across East Tennessee, TDH has launched a "vaccine finder" map that lets people search for locations offering appointments near them. You can search for a location near you at this link.
You can check the vaccine rollout status in your county and get contact information for your local health department here.
While it is recommended, in most cases, you don't have to live in that county to be vaccinated if you otherwise qualify. You should check with the local health department to make sure.