By Katelynn White
NASHVILLE, TN — The COVID-19 pandemic is still amongst us and the number of cases are increasing again, but the large Nashville vaccination and testing sites have been phased out.
The Music City’s vaccination site closed on May 28 after it was opened for four months. The Nissan Stadium COVID-19 testing site closed July 16 after 16 months.
Dr. Alex Jahangir, chief of Metro’s COVID-19 task force and director of Orthopedic Trauma took to his Twitter and posted a photo of Nissan Stadium’s testing site with a caption that said, “On the final day for our Nissan Stadium assessment site, I would never have imagined that when I took his picture on opening day 3/30/20, it would operate for 16 months and test > 153k. I am grateful to all of our partners and our entire community.”
Although both sites have closed, health officials are on a constant journey to get as many people as possible vaccinated.
According to a Tennessee Department of Health press release, Commissioner Lisa Piercey believes the vaccine can help fight the COVID-19 virus. “The most effective tool we have for combatting the COVID-19 virus is a vaccine.”
“We recognize many Tennesseans have questions or concerns about the COVID vaccines and our goal is that these messages help to address some of those hesitancies. At the end of the day my hope is we will continue to see a steady increase in vaccine uptake across our state as more and more individuals feel more comfortable and confident in receiving the vaccine,” Piercey said.
The TN Health Department data chart has reported 1,307 new cases since July 21.
President Joe Biden released a statement earlier this month after the U.S. failed to reach the goal he set for 70 percent of Americans receive at least one vaccination shot before July 4th. In his statement, he encouraged unvaccinated people to get vaccinated for their safety and those around them.
“Study after study after study has shown that, since early May, virtually every COVID-19 hospitalization and death in the United States has been among the unvaccinated. So, if you’re vaccinated, you’re protected. But if you’re unvaccinated, you’re not, and you’re putting yourself and more importantly maybe, from your perspective, your family and your friends at risk. So, please get vaccinated now. It works. It’s free. And it’s never been easier, and it’s never been more important,” said Biden.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control, shared during a White House briefing that she was still concerned about unvaccinated people.
“There is a clear message that is coming through: This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated. We are seeing outbreaks of cases in parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage because unvaccinated people are at risk” Walensky said.
According to the TN Health Department, “only 38.6% of Tennesseans are fully vaccinated. In Davidson County, 47.7 % of residents are fully vaccinated and 841 Davidson County residents have died from a confirmed case of COVID-19.”
Members of the community who would like to be given a COVID test or vaccination shot can travel to the former K-Mart at 2491 Murfreesboro Pike. The site is open between the hours of 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.
The TN Health Department listed Walmart, Kroger, Walgreens, Urgent Care, Barfield Clinic, and CVS as the pharmacies that are providing COVID-19 testing and vaccination services.
To find specific testing and vaccinations sites, click on the health department link. COVID-19 Assessment Sites (tn.gov)
Photo courtesy nissanstadium.com
