KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — COVID-19 vaccinations are underway in East Tennessee.
Covenant Health announced the arrival of their first shipment of the Pfizer/BioNTech (mRNA vaccine) COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday, saying they plan to begin vaccinating employees at all their acute care facilities. An exact date and time was not given.
The health system said the first round of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution will be offered to employees working in environments that are considered high risk or high exposure to COVID-19. Receiving the vaccine is voluntary for staff.
The vaccine will be administered on a planned schedule at all Covenant Health acute care facilities. The vaccine also will be available for home health employees and employees who work in long-term care facilities.
These East Tennessee facilities include:
- Claiborne Medical Center in Tazewell
- Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville
- Fort Loudoun Medical Center in Lenoir City
- Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville
- LeConte Medical Center in Sevierville
- Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge
- Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System in Morristown
- Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville
- Roane Medical Center in Harriman
The health system said the COVID-19 vaccine is an messenger RNA vaccine. It teaches the body to make antibodies to fight the COVID virus. There is no COVID virus in the vaccine, and it cannot give the coronavirus to the vaccine recipient.
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