The Tennessee Department of Health today announced the state’s infrastructure plan for distribution of COVID-19 vaccines once they become available. TDH in coordination with other state and local agencies submitted an initial draft of the COVID-19 Vaccination Plan for Tennessee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on October 16, 2020.

“We assure Tennesseans that safe, effective and approved COVID-19 vaccines will be released in Tennessee when they are available to reduce the spread of the virus,” said Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP. “Our vaccine distribution plan will be modified as more is understood about the virus and the availability of approved vaccines currently in development.”

TDH has developed a preliminary structure for the allocation and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines:

• Five percent of Tennessee’s allocation of COVID-19 vaccines will be distributed equitably among all 95 counties

• Ten percent of Tennessee’s allocation of COVID-19 vaccines will be reserved by the state for use in targeted areas with high vulnerability to illness and death from the virus

• 85 percent of Tennessee’s allocation of COVID-19 vaccines will be distributed among all 95 counties based on their populations

TDH modeled this approach to allocation and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines after review of the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdictional Operations and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Framework for Equitable Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccine, and in consultation with Tennessee’s Unified Command Group and a stakeholder group of more than 28 partner agencies and offices.

TDH will ensure implementation of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program through tracking of provider enrollment, mapping of locations of vaccination services, monitoring performance of the Tennessee Immunization Information System and tracking of vaccine ordering and distribution.

TDH is working to rapidly recruit and onboard hospitals, pharmacies, clinics and other partners capable of storing vaccine and administering it to priority populations. These partners are required to sign the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Agreement and Profile, demonstrate ability to store vaccine under the required conditions and establish a process for reporting all administered doses of vaccine to the Tennessee Immunization Information System within 24 hours of administration. TDH will ensure distribution of vaccination sites across all 95 counties, especially in rural counties and areas with high concentrations of people in vulnerable populations. Providers who wish to administer COVID-19 vaccine may find more information online at www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov/covid-19-vaccine-information.html.

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Health is to protect, promote and improve the health and prosperity of people in Tennessee. Learn more about TDH services and programs at www.tn.gov/health.