Bedford County Health Department will begin using a new appointment system for COVID-19 vaccinations starting on Monday. No vaccine will be given without an appointment.
Currently, the vaccine is being offered to those 75 and older as well as first responders and healthcare workers. The local department, like many health departments throughout Tennessee, was out of the vaccine for the first full week of the new year, but is expecting to receive some next week. To help avoid long lines and disappointment, a new system will help ensure that vaccine is available before citizens arrive.
The vaccine will continue to be offered at Bedford County Agriculture and Education Center, 2119 Midland Road in Shelbyville, which is also the site for drive-through COVID-19 testing.
Starting Monday, citizens may call 931-684-3426 weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. If there is no vaccine available, the caller will receive a recorded message. If vaccine is available, the caller will be connected to a health department staffer who will make an appointment for the caller to be vaccinated. Under this new system, vaccine will be administered in a drive-through setting, without the need for patients to get out of the car.
A high call volume is expected, and so those who are unable to get through are asked to remain patient and try calling again later.
Family members, caretakers and other friends are urged to help share the information about the new system with those in the current target age group.
In addition to vaccinations, drive-through testing will be available, without an appointment, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8-11 a.m. At other times, take-home tests will be offered.
Bedford County Health Department is a state agency, a division of Tennessee Department of Health, but has been working with Bedford County government to help get the word out about COVID-19 vaccinations and testing.
To track which phase of the vaccination process Bedford County is currently in, go to https://covid19.tn.gov/covid-19-vaccines/vaccine-phases/. To determine in which phase you’ll be eligible for vaccination, go to https://covid19.tn.gov/covid-19-vaccines/eligibility/
