TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Mar 9, 2021

State officials have announced that thousands of Tennessee prisoners are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, WPLN reports. The news comes days after an Associated Press investigation found that officials debated when to vaccinate prisoners, fearing that any decision could be deemed a “public relations nightmare.” State prisoners were among one of the last groups eligible to get the vaccine and, despite some becoming eligible earlier based on factors like pre-existing conditions and age, the Tennessee Department of Correction said last month that everyone housed in a state prison would be inoculated at the same time. State Health Commissioner Lisa Piercy refuted that claim and says any prisoner who fits the current requirements for phase 1c of the state’s vaccination rollout plan is now eligible for the shots.