The allocation will be received by county health departments over the next two weeks following emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The new vaccine comes just days after the state received its first shipment of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, which was shipped to 28 sites covering 74 hospitals statewide.
The Moderna vaccine is expected to be issued to all counties, including smaller hospitals that did not receive the Pfizer vaccine.
While the Pfizer vaccine was issued only to emergency and front-line health care workers, the Moderna vaccine will be issued to a wider scope of individuals in the first phase of the state's COVID-19 Vaccination Plan for Tennessee, which includes health care workers, long-term care facility residents and staff, home health providers and student health providers.
“We are excited to receive these additional vaccines and see our COVID-19 vaccination activities underway,” Tennessee Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey said. “Tennessee county health department staff members will administer the Moderna vaccine to first responders, home health care providers and student health care providers in partnership with these organizations and their local community emergency management agencies.”
Additionally, the TDH announced Dec. 17 the state may have more doses of the Pfizer vaccine than previously thought. The state announced Dec. 14 that Tennessee would receive 56,550 doses of the vaccine; however, an announcement from the FDA issued Dec. 16 stated the Pfizer vaccine vials, which are labeled to include five doses, could include up to six or seven doses.
This means Tennessee's supply could have an additional 11,000 doses than originally expected.
See more about the state's vaccine plan here.