Tennessee will resume school-based vaccination events next week after putting them on hold over concerns from state legislators. The state health department will also continue providing the vaccine to older teens without parental consent if necessary, which is what Republican leaders had expressed urgent concerned about.
Gov. Lee Supports Firing Of Vaccine Director But Says He Didn’t Suggest It
Tennessee’s governor has come out in support of the health department’s recent actions that landed the state in the national spotlight — that being the firing of the state’s top vaccine official, Dr. Michelle “Shelley” Fiscus, which prompted questions about vaccine outreach to children.
Republicans Drop Threat To Tennessee Health Department After It Says It Won’t Promote Vaccine For Teens
Lawmakers on the Government Operations Committee met Wednesday and made no mention of dissolving the state’s health department, as suggested at a meeting in June.
Leadership That Fired Tennessee’s Top Vaccine Expert Gave Her Glowing Performance Reviews
According to performance reviews of Dr. Michelle Fiscus, the Tennessee vaccine official had been praised for exceeding expectations and being attentive to her team, which directly contradicts a memo that the health department sent to media outlets after her firing this week.
‘I’m Not A Political Operative’: Tennessee’s Ousted Vaccine Official Says Lawmakers’ Opinions Overrode Science
Fiscus was fired this week and has since landed squarely at the center of a national controversy. She says she was ousted because of an on-going battle between science and politics.
Masks No Longer Required: Mid TN School Districts Loosen Rules For Upcoming Year
Districts — including Murfreesboro City Schools, Rutherford County Schools, Wilson County Schools and, most recently, Metro Nashville Public Schools — have announced that face coverings will be optional for students and staff heading into the new school year.
A Mix Of Gratitude And ‘Lingering Concern’ As Nashville’s Largest COVID Testing Site Winds Down
Sixty-seven weeks into a COVID testing site most assumed would be short term when it went up, the city is closing the location amid an increase in vaccinated people and a decrease in the positivity rate for the virus.
More Vaccinated Tennesseans Are Getting COVID, Prompting Calls For More Vaccination Urgency
The COVID-19 vaccine isn’t perfect. A Nashville child psychologist, who decided to get the shot after her bout with the coronavirus late last year, knew that. But she was still confused when she started getting sick in May.
‘Natural Immunity’ Helps Drive Down COVID In Tennessee, Despite Being Far From U.S. Vaccination Goal
There are parts of Tennessee where COVID has all but disappeared, despite vaccination rates that are among the lowest in the nation.
Worry Rises As A More Infectious COVID Variant Begins Spreading In Tennessee
A more infectious strain of the COVID-19 virus, known as the Delta variant, is on the move in Tennessee. The state’s health department has counted about 20 cases so far, concentrated in Shelby County.
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