Health Dept. changes who gets vaccine and when

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – After long lines in the bumpy first vaccine program in Hamilton County, the Health Department is making some changes.

Now they are adding an alphabetical system for giving the vaccines.

So before you go to the Riverpark POD site, you must fall into the current phase category, but also your name must be in the alphabetical list for the day (for example, A-K).

You will have to prove that you meet the Phase qualification upon entering.

You can learn both by clicking on the Health Department Website.

The hours are from 9AM til 5PM (but they expect they will run out of doses long before closing time, so don’t wait).

Here is what you it looks like beginning on Tuesday.

They also plan to control traffic better by routing it through Chattanooga State’s main entrance. That should get traffic off of Amnicola Highway.

You will have to go through a screening station first, and get an individual number for service. They call them encounter forms.

“We ask the patience of the community as we work through major logistical hurdles with this vaccine, as we are limited by the number of doses we receive in any shipment,” said Health Department Administrator Becky Barnes.  “As more vaccine becomes available to us, we will open more sites and operate for more hours.”

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are two dose regimens. The second Pfizer dose is due 21 days after the first, and the second Moderna dose is due 28 days after the first. Recipients will be given a reminder card with this information on it. No appointment is necessary.