Tennessee Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey sought to correct some vaccine misinformation on Monday, Aug. 2, as the Delta variant of COVID-19 spreads rapidly.

The statewide test positivity rate is over 13%, Piercey said, and more people are hospitalized with COVID now than at any point since February. The highly contagious Delta variant, which evolved over time as the virus spread, accounts for roughly 80% of cases in Tennessee, Piercey said.

“Hospitals are starting to fill up,” she said at a virtual press conference on Monday. “We are still in a very steep upward trajectory.”

No new mask mandates, for now

But the vast majority of cases, hospitalizations and deaths are among the unvaccinated. Only a fraction of vaccinated Tennesseans — less than two in 1,000 — have tested positive. Those “breakthrough” cases are more likely to be mild or asymptomatic.

Data show around 97% of hospitalized COVID patients are unvaccinated, and around 99% of deaths are among the unvaccinated.

The existence of breakthrough cases, and the fact that vaccinated people may transmit the virus (although vaccinated people are much less likely to spread it), has made some people skeptical about the vaccine.

Piercey cautioned against the misinformation.

“I don’t want you to get in the habit of thinking the vaccine doesn’t matter,” she said. “Breakthrough cases are rare.”

Because of the recent spike, more vaccine-hesitant people have decided to get vaccinated. Piercey said vaccine uptake has risen 22% week over week.

It’s a matter of sooner, later or never for unvaccinated

“A lot of Tennesseans who have been hesitant are now saying, ‘You know what? I’m ready,’” she said.

“If you’re on the fence at all, if you think, ‘I might do it, I need to do it, I just haven’t done it yet,’ I need you to reach out to that trusted voice,” she said.

That could be a family member, friend, pastor or, of course, a doctor. “Talk to them, and I hope you will join the thousands of Tennesseans who have chosen to get vaccinated.”

Tennessee is among the least-vaccinated states in the country, a situation not improved by last month’s firing of the top vaccine official at the Tennessee Department of Health, Dr. Michelle Fiscus. 

Health officials in Shelby County have decided to keep the Pipkin Building vaccination site open at least through the end of August, instead of closing at the end of July as previously planned.

There were reports of long lines at the Pipkin site over the weekend. 

Piercey also recognized August as National Immunization Awareness Month. That recognition was notable because last month, amid the uproar over Fiscus’ firing, Nashville NewsChannel5 reported Piercey ordered her department not to do any outreach about the event.

Despite the effectiveness of the vaccine, the low vaccination rate and the upcoming school year, Piercey said she opposed vaccine or mask requirements. She said those decisions were for individuals to make for themselves.

“There’s not a lot of appetite for that,” she said. “I think the days of big government mandates are over.”