Hamilton County provided nearly 12,500 COVID-19 vaccines in the past week, according to data released Wednesday by the Hamilton County Health Department.
As the county nears completion of its second month administering vaccines, more than 24,300 people have received two doses of the available vaccines, meaning they are approaching full protection from the virus. The county has given out 71,653 doses so far, which include first and second shots to county residents and people living outside the county who are eligible, such as those working inside the county.
The county is averaging nearly 1,000 first-dose shots a day in the past week. Last week, the county had a seven-day moving average of 850 first doses a day.
Becky Barnes, administrator of the Hamilton County Health Department, said the county is receiving 5,248 first doses this week and projects to receive 6,278 first doses next week. The increase is due to Pfizer-BioNTech expanding its kits to include 1,170 doses each instead of 975.
Hamilton County announced 4,360 new first-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine appointments Wednesday for shots on Feb. 26 and the first week of March. Those who are eligible can sign up online or call 423-209-5398 to make a first dose appointment.
Workers in phase 1a1, 1a2 and 1b, as well as residents ages 65 and older, are eligible for the vaccine in Hamilton County. These workers include health care staff, first responders and school staff. Between the workers and age groups, there are likely tens of thousands of people still eligible for the vaccine after the county expanded eligibility last week.
On Wednesday, the Tennessee Department of Health reported all nursing homes and skilled nursing homes in the state completed both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The state's assisted care living facilities are expected to complete the program later this week, according to a statement from the department.
COVID-19 cases continue to fall in Hamilton County, with the county health department reporting 90 new infections Wednesday with 74 people hospitalized with the virus. The county is averaging 96 new cases a day in the past week with around 70 people hospitalized each day. Caseloads have fallen since the opening weeks of 2021 but have held steady in the past two weeks. As of Wednesday, there were 1,153 active cases in the county, the lowest total since Oct. 28, 2020.
The slowing decline in case numbers comes as the county tests fewer people for the virus and more of those tests come back positive. As of Wednesday, the county was testing an average of 696 people a day in the past week. Since such data was first made public in July 2020, the county had not reported a seven-day moving average below 700 tests a day.
The county's positivity rate on new tests began rising, too, after falling below 10% last week. Over the last seven days, the county is averaging a positivity rate of around 14% on new tests, according to data from the health department.
Contact Wyatt Massey at wmassey@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249. Follow him on Twitter @news4mass.