The Tennessee Department of Health will begin offering booster doses of COVID vaccine to certain populations, beginning Friday, September 24.

A single dose booster of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine can be administered for individuals who met these criteria:

• People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series,

• People aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series,

• People aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks, and

• People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks.

More information on the CDC’s recommendation for a booster dose is available online.

Local health departments across the state will be administering the booster dose. Information on appointment availability can be found at https://covid19.tn.gov/covid-19-vaccines/availability/. Appointments are not required. The Federal Pharmacy Partnership (FPP) for Long-Term Care (LTC) Program is facilitating on-site vaccination for residents in long-term care facilities. Additional vaccine providers offering the Pfizer vaccine can be found by visiting http://www.vaccines.gov. Patients do not need to prove their diagnosis or health condition to be eligible for the booster dose.