The city released the appointment times for vaccines next week, and one spot has the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine.

Shelby County’s likely survived the worst of COVID-19, though there are two caveats that could alter the trajectory, David Sweat, county health department deputy director, said Thursday.

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.

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 deadline to apply for a free gardening plot at Shelby Farms is March 8.

The Shelby County Health Department announced Wednesday it will move into phase 1c of its coronavirus vaccination plan effective Monday, March 8. 

The first shipment of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is expected to arrive in Tennessee on Wednesday as local officials increase the anticipated number of vaccines administered by Aug. 1.

Council member Chase Carlisle was sharply critical of health officials, the County Commission and county Mayor Lee Harris. The wording was later amended after a lengthy council debate.

The City of Memphis continued to transition into administering COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesday, trying to streamline the process for those getting the shots.

Former Daily Memphian reporter Wayne Risher gives a detailed account of getting his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in Raleigh. 

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said the county will hire a national search firm to field the applications, which are due by the end of this month.

Shelby County Fire Department dispatchers are receiving training in dealing with mental health calls and emergencies. 

Going forward, vaccinating the citizens of Shelby County against COVID-19 is under the authority of the City of Memphis after the state transferred custody of the vaccine and administration of the process away from county leaders. It took a dizzying array of missteps for this to occur, and Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright says: “The public deserves to know what happened.”

Related story:
County vaccination timeline

On The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, Shelby County Chief Information Officer Sandra Perry talks about the lasting impact and the security challenges of work-at-home government services and what happens when one part of county government wants its own computer system and network.

The announcement by County Mayor Lee Harris came three hours after new bombshell revelation from state health officials about the mismanagement of vaccines in Shelby County. It also did little to quell a growing controversy about the leadership of Harris in the controversy.

The council can’t fire Shelby County Health Director Alisa Haushalter, but council member Chase Carlisle will propose the resolution at Tuesday’s council meeting. There could be more calls Friday, when Haushalter and County Mayor Lee Harris speak at a special meeting of the Shelby County Commission.

The head of the Tennessee Coalition of Open Government says it’s “implausible” the Tuesday secret meeting was legal. And one of the county commissioners who attended said the “ton of information” presented should have been heard by the public. 

The County Commission Scorecard looks at the big picture of a lingering contract for managing court cases and a complex amendment to a county purchasing goal for locally owned businesses that came to an abrupt end.

More than 2,400 doses wasted in seven separate incidents, state Department of Health says.

Commissioner Tami Sawyer withdrew her resolution Monday to change grooming standards for county public safety employees.

The Governor’s Unified Command Group is looking into how more than 1,315 doses of coronavirus vaccine were wasted in Shelby County. State Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey will address the issue on Tuesday.

The commission is also slated to take up a resolution by Mick Wright that calls on the state of Tennessee to send the National Guard, with the assistance of logistics industry professionals, to oversee the vaccination process in Shelby County.

Faced with the monumental challenge of trying to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of people against COVID-19, city and county officials haven’t been shy about consulting with business executives for tips on how to improve their operating efficiency.

The County Trustee’s office is the exception, staying open for the last week of county tax filing season. Some county employees will be working from home if possible as the administration decides on a day-to-day basis when to open the buildings.

People getting to the six-week mark and worried about getting second dose can have blood drawn to see if antibodies are present, says Dr. Manoj Jain.