Tennessee opens COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to 70 and older age group

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Tennesseans who are 70 years of age or older are now eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine, state health officials said on Monday. 

Starting today, the 70 plus group can register to receive the jab, a move made possible following an increase in the state’s allocation of COVID-19 vaccines, according to a news release from the Tennessee Department of Health. 

Health officials estimate that there are about 300,000 Tennesseans between the ages of 70 to 74, who have a "70 percent higher rate of death and a 40 percent higher rate of hospitalization from COVID-19 as compared to those aged 65 to 69," officials said. 

"Tennessee will continue to move through phases of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan as vaccine supplies increase. TDH expects the state may be able to expand vaccination to Phase 1b groups and those aged 65 and older as soon as March if vaccine supplies continues to increase, as expected," per the news release. 

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An estimated 280,058 people in the state have received at least one dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine, while 193,096 people have received both doses, according to official estimates.

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Tennesse ranks above a number of other states in terms of its vaccination efforts, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that shows nearly 628,000 total doses have been administered in the Volunteer State as of Monday, a rate of 9,195 per 100,000 people.