NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Tennessee Department of Health announced some additions to Phase 1c of its vaccinations plan.
Tennessee Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey announced the updates Tuesday during the state’s COVID briefing. Piercey said they added household contacts of pregnant women to Phase 1c, along with those with neuromuscular disorders and individuals with Down syndrome. TDH previously discussed adding households of pregnant women to phase 1c and officially included this group to the list on Tuesday.
Below is the full list of who is eligible under phase 1c:
They also removed the medication requirement for those with diabetes and hypertension.
Piercey said with two of the risk factors -- diabetes and obesity -- you’re at a much higher risk of complications from COVID-19, and there’s a much higher risk of death for individuals with diabetes. Piercey said a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more is considered obese.
As of Monday night, Piercey said there were more than 400,000 vaccine appointments available across the state. Piercey recommended visiting vaccinefinder.org to find a vaccination site near you.
Piercey also said they’re allocating doses of the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines to the Tennessee Department of Correction to begin vaccinating inmates who are at least 65 years old or inmates who are high-risk.
