There are 34 article(s) tagged COVID-19 vaccine distribution:
Judy Martin retired from the health department in 2020 after more than 1,500 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine expired; her lawsuit alleged Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris damaged her reputation with a social media post.
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris says he’s found nothing to validate accusations that doses of vaccine were lost, stolen or misused when the county Health Department controlled distribution.
The co-leaders of the countywide vaccination distribution effort talked on “Behind The Headlines” about a move this week to no appointments for some and why the federal vaccination presence at the Fairgrounds is unique.
Rev. Keith Norman of Baptist Memorial Health Care and Meritan CEO Melanie Keller talked about the vaccine outreach to the homebound and homeless on “Behind The Headlines.”
Greater access through more public sites and pop-up events combined with higher vaccine allotments from the state and declining wait times are three reasons attributed to the changes in recent weeks.
State Health commissioner Lisa Piercey said she won’t have a completed report by Friday, March 12.
From Feb. 20 to March 6, the Shelby County Health Department reported 66,592 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered, compared to 28,705 in the preceding period.
Transfer of vaccine distribution will likely leave some Shelby County Health Department vacancies unfilled, county leaders say, as email trails from last month show those now in charge of vaccine distribution had questions that weren’t being answered as vaccine miscues piled up.
The state Department of Health announced its decision to move into phase 1c Tuesday afternoon, and the Shelby County Health Department expanded eligibility to the same group Wednesday morning.
The items added Monday evening to the council’s committee list include $1 million in funding for the city’s vaccine ramp-up. They join what was already a busy council day, including the 100 North Main building, street racing and sewer fees.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said the city is confident —along with its other partners like local hospitals — it can currently deliver 40,000 inoculations, both first and second doses, each week. That’s more than double the current average of 10,000 to 15,000 doses administered.
Those eligible for phase 1b will be able to make appointments starting Wednesday, Feb. 24. That includes teachers, residents above age 65 and childcare workers.
Teachers in the suburban municipal districts can begin receiving vaccinations beginning Wednesday as educators begin to receive the shots.
After a late-night notification, teachers braved Monday’s weather to receive expiring doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Saturday, many were turned away unable to receive a vaccine. They were told to return Sunday and some arrived to a snowy lot with no staff on site.
On The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, City Council member JB Smiley Jr. says the Health Department needs “boots on the ground” in Black communities to remedy a racial disparity in who is getting the COVID-19 vaccines.
Overall, a total of 94,664 total doses were administered in Shelby County. At least 69,557 people in Shelby County received one vaccine dose; 25,107 people have received both COVID-19 vaccine doses, according to Health Department data.
The Appling City Cove vaccination site remains the closest site for Northeast Shelby County as suburbs in that area seek a location to serve their citizens.
Discussion of Shelby County increasing vaccine sites countywide includes a possibility of Frayser. The Health Department already has a first-dose location at the Whitehaven Center of Southwest Tennessee Community College.
As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues, here’s what Shelby County can learn from other areas around the nation.
In an address to the Memphis Rotary Club, Dr. Jon McCullers gave a practical picture of the road ahead for Shelby County’s pandemic response in 2021.
The council Tuesday voted unanimously to join a call by leaders in 22 of the nation’s largest cities to ask President Joe Biden to send vaccine directly to the cities and bypass state governments.
The two mayors, in an extended interview on “Behind The Headlines,” say new vaccines that don’t require two doses or sub-zero refrigeration could work better for meeting the need countywide.
Dr. Stephen Threlkeld, one of the city’s leading experts on the COVID-19 virus, says state and local officials need to figure out a vaccine pipeline that can keep the vaccine coming while not forgetting about the importance of testing.
Funeral workers and those 75 and older became eligible for the vaccine this week. Sunday they turned out to get their first dose of the Moderna vaccine.
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