Public health departments in Tennessee are now offering COVID booster shots, mostly without appointments. There are few restrictions left, but where patients go will determine what brand is available.
Anyone who really wants a booster shot at this point can get one if it’s been long enough since their last dose, though Pfizer and Moderna are supposed to be for folks who have at least a risky living or work situation. Johnson & Johnson has no such caveats. Its booster is for anybody who is more than two months out from their single-dose vaccination.
The big question is which brand to go with and where to find it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is allowing mixing-and-matching, which is good since the state health department says not every site will have all three brands.
For instance, Metro Nashville’s no-appointment, drive-thru sites don’t have Moderna, though it’s available at local clinics and pharmacies. It is carrying Johnson & Johnson boosters, since the Metro health department used more of the single-dose than most parts of the state.
While many public health departments are not requiring appointments, pharmacies and clinics generally are. State health officials recommend checking vaccine.gov, which can search by brand and location. However, public health departments aren’t always showing up on the finder. State health officials recommend their site for searching local health departments, but even that doesn’t always have the latest.
Links to the few local health departments with updated vaccine hours and locations:
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM