NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – The Tennessee Department of Health has announced next steps regarding the arrival of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine’s arrival in Tennessee.
Tennessee expects to receive its first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on or around December 21. The state also expects to receive an initial amount of 115,000 doss of the vaccine over the next two weeks, following Emergency Use Authorization issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
The Moderna vaccine should be shipped for delivery on Dec. 21 to all 95 Tennessee county health departments.
Smaller hospitals not receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are expected to receive the Moderna vaccine the week of December 28.
The FDA said Wednesday that vials of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which are labeled as containing five doses, could include enough of the vaccine to provide six or even seven doses. According to the FDA, these additional doses may be used, meaning Tennessee could have as many as 11,000 more doses of the vaccine than the state originally expected.
“We are excited to receive these additional vaccines and see our COVID-19 vaccination activities underway,” said Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP. “Tennessee county health department staff members will administer the Moderna vaccine to first responders, home health care providers and student health care providers in partnership with these organizations and their local community emergency management agencies.”
The following table gives specific information about the vaccines Tennessee will receive to date.
| COVID-19 Vaccine | Pfizer-BioNTech | Moderna |
| Shipping Date | Dec. 16, 2020 | Est. Dec. 20, 2020 |
| Target Date to Begin Administration | Dec. 17, 2020 | Est. Dec. 21, 2020 |
| Priority Population for Vaccination | Frontline hospital health care workers | Frontline hospital health care workers, first responders, long-term care facility residents and staff, home health providers, student health providers |
| Number of Doses | 56,550* | 115,200 |
| Location | 28 sites covering 74 hospitals | 95 county health departments and small hospitals that did not receive Pfizer vaccine |
| Storage Requirements | Ultra-cold storage (-70° F) | Frozen storage (-20°F) |
Initial supplies of the COVID-19 vaccines are limited. First allocations of both the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines in Tennessee will be used to give first vaccine doses to people who qualify for Phase 1a1, such as health care workers, long-term care facilities residents and staff members, and first responders as detailed in the COVID-19 vaccination plan for Tennessee.
The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are not interchangeable, meaning each patient must receive two doses of the same vaccine to be protected from COVID-19. Those who choose to get vaccinated will receive a card with the date of their first shot, the name/manufacturer of the vaccine given and the date they should get their second shot.
“Tennessee’s plan for allocation of COVID-19 vaccine has been thoughtfully developed with a focus on how best to serve our diverse populations and communities, and to ensure distribution of vaccination sites across all 95 counties, especially in rural areas and those with high concentrations of people in vulnerable populations,” Piercey said.
Tennessee’s local health departments continue to offer COVID-19 testing five days a week at no charge for anyone wishing to get tested. Testing sites across the state will give self-testing kits for adults three days a week beginning December 21. This will allow staff members to transition to vaccination of frontline health care providers and first responders.
Testing hours and contact information for TDH health department testing sites can be found here.
