On Monday, Davidson County will move to phase 1C, which allows residents with common risk factors for COVID-19 complications to receive a vaccination.
The state also announced this week it’s moving to this new phase, but Davidson County has generally lagged the rest of Tennessee because it had so many health care workers to get through in the initial phase.
But now doses are much easier to come by. In the last week, nearly 20,000 Davidson County residents have been vaccinated. And right now, there are immediate openings for anyone 65 and over to get a shot, says Dr. Alex Jahangir, chair of the city’s coronavirus task force.
There will be no need to prove a medical condition, as Florida has required. A Tennessee Department of Health spokesperson confirms to WPLN News that no doctors note will be required at the rural health departments, and Jahangir says the same is true for Nashville. The city is relying on the “honor code,” he says.
“We’re hoping that the people of Nashville will continue doing what the people of Nashville have been doing for the past year and be a good citizen, a good neighbor,” Jahangir says. “If they fit phase 1C, then they will come and signup for phase 1C.”
Eligible risk factors range from asthma to dementia. They also include very common conditions, including hypertension, obesity and diabetes that requires medication. Pregnant women are also eligible, and Ascension Saint Thomas has scheduled a special vaccination event for them on Monday.
More: Read the full list of eligible conditions.
The Metro Public Health Department will be taking signups for 1C residents online or by phone at 615-862-7777. But the vaccine is also available through many more sites at this point, including nonprofit clinics like Neighborhood Health, hospital systems and a growing list of pharmacies including Kroger and Walmart.
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