We’re approaching year 3 of the pandemic, and while we’re certainly more prepared to face another COVID-19 winter, we’re not out of the woods quite yet. Here’s what’s new:

💉 Booster doses

Hamilton County Public Health offers booster doses to high-risk, fully vaccinated Pfizer or Moderna recipients, including those:

65 years and older
18 and older who have underlying conditions (think pregnancy, smoking, or diabetes) or who are at increased risk of transmission (think healthcare worker or teacher)

All single-dose Johnson & Johnson recipients are eligible for boosters 2 months after their initial dose.

Early data suggests that patients who received booster doses 5 months after their second shots were 11 times less likely to catch COVID-19, and were 19 times less likely to develop severe illness.

🗳 Emergency vaccinations for kids

As of yesterday, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices unanimously recommended the use of Pfizer's vaccine for children 5-11 years old. The child-sized vaccines (10mcg as opposed to 30mcg) will be available at vaccination clinics in the coming days.

Free walk-in clinics:

Sequoyah Health Center (Pfizer) | 9527 W Ridge Trail Rd., Soddy-Daisy | 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday

Birchwood Clinic (Pfizer) | 5625 TN-60, Birchwood | 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Tuesday through Wednesday

CARTA Bus Barn (Moderna booster) | 1617 Wilcox Blvd., Chattanooga | 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday

✍️ By the numbers

Hamilton County

New cases Mon., Nov. 1: 57
Total number of cases: 64,136
Total number of vaccinations: 188,452 (51%)

Tennessee

New cases Mon., Nov. 1: 1,153
Total number of cases: 1,280,265
Total number of vaccinations: 3,254,928 (48.94%)

☝️ These numbers reflect full vaccinations. 78.1% of Americans ages 12+ and 97.4% ages 65+ have received at least one dose. About 10% have received booster doses.