Covenant Health began COVID-19 vaccinations Jan. 13
Covenant Health began providing recurring, appointment-based, drive-through distribution of COVID-19 vaccine at the Fort Sanders West campus on January 13..
In accordance with current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration and state of Tennessee, the vaccine is available to individuals ages 75 and older.
Covenant Health began distributing the vaccine with the aim of supplementing and supporting distribution plans from the state, regional health departments and other entities. Covenant Health worked with its affiliates, physicians within the Covenant Health system, as well as additional primary care and other health care groups across East Tennessee, to communicate with their patients age 75 and older and offer them the opportunity to make an appointment to receive the vaccine as long as doses were available.
The vaccine is provided at no charge to the recipients, and each person also has been scheduled to receive a second dose as recommended. Appointments were scheduled to match Covenant Health’s available vaccine supply, based on the state’s allotment and distribution.
Covenant Health’s goal is to use its existing relationships and infrastructure as the region’s largest health care system to:
• Support statewide efforts to vaccinate as many people as possible who want to be inoculated,
• as quickly and efficiently as possible as doses are available,
• in accordance with the current phased rollout of predetermined vaccine recipients,
• supplementing the work of the state of Tennessee, area health departments and all of the health-care community to protect the health of the people of East Tennessee.