Today at 11 a.m., the Knox County Health Department (KCHD) will open up registration for more than 2,000 first-dose COVID-19 vaccine appointments on February 1, 2 and 3, at the Knoxville Expo Center, 5441 Clinton Highway.
Qualifying individuals – such as health care workers, first responders and those 75 and older – can schedule appointments through an online registration system which will be posted on KCHD’s Vaccination Information page at 11 a.m.
A portion of the available appointments will be reserved for qualifying individuals without computer/internet access. Those individuals should call KCHD’s Public Information Line at 865-215-5555 at 11 a.m. to schedule an appointment. Appointments are expected to fill quickly.
When accessing the scheduling website, individuals will be asked to verify eligibility requirements. Those who are eligible include health care workers, first responders and those 75 and older. A full list of the groups eligible in the first priority phases (1a1 and 1a2) can be found here. After reviewing eligibility requirements, individuals will see the vaccine clinic location, dates and available appointments. From there, selecting the appointment and providing necessary personal information will work just as a number of other common appointment scheduling sites work.
At their appointment, individuals will be required to verify their employment (with a work badge that shows a name and/or photo) or age (with a legal form of personal identification, like a drivers’ license or passport) before the vaccine is administered.
Next week, KCHD plans to launch a new automated scheduling and registration platform with a waitlist option. Moving forward, appointments will be filled by contacting those who are on the waitlist.
“We know there is great desire for a waitlist, and we are happy to soon provide this option to our community – but, it was critical to us that we found the right system for our needs,” said Senior Director and Public Health Officer Dr. Martha Buchanan. “Not only will this new system streamline scheduling and allow those who qualify to put their names on a waitlist, its automated features will greatly benefit our team as we work to maximize efficiency at vaccine appointments. That, in turn, will have a direct benefit to Knox County citizens.”
More information on this system will be available next week.
While supply is a persisting issue across the nation, Knox County continues to roll out vaccines quickly. As of this week, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Health, more than 34,000 vaccinations have been administered in Knox County and 7.3% of people in Knox County have received at least one dose.