Medicine and Health

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  New details emerged Tuesday concerning Nashville’s COVID-19 vaccination appointment system.

In addition to the appointment plan, Metro has also launched a standby vaccination list in an effort to ensure that scarce doses of the vaccine never go to waste.

However, new details from health officials via social media reveal that there will never be more than four Nashvillians selected from the standby list on any given day. 

NASVHILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  Tennessee’s COVID-19 case counts, hospitalizations and deaths are all spiking again.

State health officials reported 734 virus related fatalities this past week, a new all-time record. Metro Nashville also recorded a new high of 48 deaths during the week that ended Saturday.

The number of Tennesseans admitted to hospitals statewide jumped 20 percent last week. As of Tuesday morning, there were 741 patients in ICU across the state, with 429 on respirators.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  Metro Nashville and Vanderbilt University are moving to vaccinate senior residents 75 and older against COVID-19

Metro officials say the city will begin offering vaccinations on Saturday, January 8. Vaccinations offered by the city will be by appointment only, and will only be administered on Saturdays and Sundays.

Metro’s been slow to reach this next phase of the vaccination plan. Every other county in the Greater Nashville Area moved to immunize seniors days ago.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  COVID-19 hospitalizations marked another all-time high Wednesday morning.

Numbers released overnight show there are currently 3332 Tennesseans in hospital due to virus complications. A total of 798 are in Intensive Care, while 463 are on a ventilator.

The latest state data shows the number of open hospital beds has fallen to 13 percent. The number of available ICU beds has dropped to a troubling 7 percent.

COVID-19 has taken 557 Tennessee lives in the past week alone.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee officials have set up an online tool that helps people figure out when they will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Gov. Bill Lee's office announced the initiative Tuesday as the state reported more than 169,000 Tennesseans have been vaccinated with their first dose so far.

The online tool involves filling out a form with questions about age, county, type of employment, health conditions and other risk factors.