The rate of people getting their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine has more than doubled over the past two weeks in Hamilton County and the surrounding area of Southeast Tennessee as the delta variant drives an increase in hospitalizations and new cases.
The 12-county region surrounding Hamilton that includes Bledsoe, Bradley, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea and Sequatchie counties is averaging more than 940 first-dose shots a day in the past week, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Health. During the first week of July, the seven-day average for the same area was less than 300 first-dose shots a day.
Dr. Lisa Piercey, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health, said during a Monday news briefing that 94 of Tennessee’s 95 counties experienced an increase in vaccine demand in the past few weeks.
“A lot of Tennesseeans who have been hesitant are now saying, you know what, I’m ready,” Piercey said. “And there’s a lot of different reasons for that, but at the end of the day we are vaccinating more Tennesseans and that is very encouraging.”
Becky Barnes, administrator for the Hamilton County Health Department, said there are a variety of reasons why more people are getting vaccinated in recent weeks.