In One Tennessee County Just 3 Out of 100 First Responders Want the Vaccine

Not exactly a hit

While many frontline health care workers have been eager to get vaccinated, some in Tennessee are opting out. State officials are seeing signs of more hesitancy than they expected in hospitals.

The state originally figured only about 70% of hospital staff would take the COVID-19 vaccine. Some might not want to because they’re pregnant. Others may have broader concerns about the safety of the vaccine.

But hospitals are seeing even more reluctance than expected, says Dr. Lisa Piercey, who leads the Tennessee Department of Health — and this was supposed to be the easiest group to convince.

State officials are growing more concerned about the uptake among first responders, who are next in line after nursing home staff and residents. Out of more than 100 EMTs, firefighters and sheriff’s deputies in one county the state surveyed, just three said they want the vaccine.

Piercey says she respects everyone’s concerns and hopes that they will come around after more people take the vaccine. But state officials plan to move quickly down the priority list.

“My first priority is getting vaccines in arms as quickly as possible to whoever wants it. So I am not going to slow down my efforts in vaccinating folks while there are people who are hesitant,” Piercey says. “We want to give people an opportunity, but we’re not going to hang around while they’re trying to decide.”

A sprint to year’s end

In Tennessee hospitals, just 16,500 of the 56,000 Pfizer doses were used as of Monday morning. That’s slower than expected, but is likely related to hospitals staggering the vaccines. Side effects could require workers to take a sick day or two afterward.

An estimated 200,000 Tennesseans are supposed to be vaccinated by the end of this year. The state has already started receiving the shipment of 115,000 Moderna doses, with the first shot being delivered by Piercey herself on Monday to a paramedic in Murfreesboro.

The state has also learned it will receive another 40,000 doses from Pfizer in the coming weeks.

Starting immediately after Christmas, the effort to vaccinate nursing home residents and staffers will begin. Walgreens and CVS will administer those doses directly in the facilities.

With new encouragement to vaccinate teachers as soon as possible, Piercey says the state is seriously considering moving educators up to tier one in the state’s vaccination plan. [Ie since there are so many  left unused.] The state is updating its efforts each week here.

Source: WKMS

4 Comments
  1. ke4ram says

    Anyone taking this experimental concoction is seriously risking their health or worse, their life.

    But that said I have no empathy for the political, medical/health, education and law enforcement systems, all of which have been responsible in a huge way for the destruction of my country (US) and others around the world.

    Those State Officials don’t seem to be in their ‘Tier’ groups. They should be numero uno! And none of the Hollywood needle BS.

  2. cechas vodobenikov says

    given herd immunity, mild or no symptoms and the reported allergic reactions so far reported by 5-10% and the unknown long term consequences it cannot be reliably claimed that the vaccine is beneficial for many populations

  3. VK HAM says

    Today’s coronavirus vaccine challenge trials running have something else in common with the monstrous Willowbrook ( USA ) hepatitis experiments used disable children: they may not even be necessary.

  4. VK HAM says

    Today’s coronavirus vaccine challenge trials running have something else in common with the monstrous Willowbrook ( USA ) hepatitis experiments used disable children: they may not even be necessary.

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