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At just after 6 a.m. this morning the Department closed it’s COVID-19 vaccination site because enough people had lined up to use all 1,000 doses available today.
The department is not even starting vaccinations until 9 a.m. today.
The department is not even starting vaccinations until 9 a.m. today.
Since the county expanded eligibility it has consistently run out of doses in the face of hours-long lines. https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2021/jan/05/officials-urge-patience-hamiltcounty-covid-19/539127/
Yesterday, people reported waiting in line for more than five hours. Some did not make the cut and went home frustrated.
The lines are difficult for elderly residents who may not be able to sit in a car for that long or workers who cannot take off work for long periods of time, let alone multiple days if their first attempt in waiting is unsuccessful.
Chattanooga is not an outlier. In Tennessee, and across the nation, we are struggling to get doses in arms. Millions of Americans are eligible and millions of doses are ready, but the inoculation process is months behind schedule. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/health/covid-vaccine-states-distribution-doses/
I got around a dozen phone calls yesterday from frustrated residents seeking the vaccine. They were turned away or didn’t think they could sit in a line that long. Many are our elderly neighbors, the people most at-risk of a severe infection or death from the virus.
One woman told me she’s been “following the rules” for almost a year, staying home, away from any exposures.
People repeatedly told her to wait for the vaccine so she could see loved ones. Now the vaccine is here, she’s being told there’s not enough and she has to keep waiting.
People repeatedly told her to wait for the vaccine so she could see loved ones. Now the vaccine is here, she’s being told there’s not enough and she has to keep waiting.
What’s especially frustrating is our neighbors want to know when the next shipment of the vaccine will arrive. They want to know when next to get in line at 5 a.m. to hopefully make the cut.
And there’s no good answer. Vaccine shipments have been inconsistent and unpredictable.
And there’s no good answer. Vaccine shipments have been inconsistent and unpredictable.
While the county waits, it is averaging 439 new cases a day in the past week (a record). There are 3,929 active cases in the county (a record) and 59 people in the ICU.
