NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Health has updated Tennessee’s COVID-19 vaccination plan as the state continues to prioritize Tennesseans most at risk of illness and death from COVID-19.
Protect medically vulnerable children and adults
Tennessee has added people living in households with medically vulnerable children to phase 1c of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan. Vaccination of their parents, guardians and other household residents will help protect these children, as no COVID-19 vaccine is currently approved for use in children under 16 years of age. Stage 1c also includes people 16 and older with medical conditions that put them at high risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19. This group is further defined in the updated plan and appears earlier in the Tennessee plan than in the federal vaccination recommendations.
Correctional officers and prison guards in phase 1a 1
The Tennessee correctional officers and jailers have been added to phase 1a1 of the Tennessee COVID-19 vaccination plan. These Tennesseans work in environments and functions that require frequent direct public exposure through close contact in confined spaces, putting them at high risk of contracting and distributing COVID-19.
Prioritize age-based risks
Age-based criteria parallels the phases between age groups, starting with those 75 and older.