TMA Leaders Call On Tennesseans And Health Care Professionals To Get Vaccinated

  • Monday, August 2, 2021

The Tennessee Medical Association issued a statement Monday encouraging Tennesseans who have not received a COVID vaccination to do so. This is vital, as Tennessee’s vaccination rate is below the national average and 96 percent of all new cases in Tennessee are among unvaccinated individuals, said officials. 

Here is the statement: 

"The Tennessee Medical Association fully supports the vaccination of Tennesseans against the COVID-19 virus. These vaccines are a means to protect our citizenry and greatly enhance one's ability to fend off potentially grave health implications from the Delta variant.

"We implore those Tennesseans who have not received a COVID vaccination to do so immediately. This simple task may be the difference between a few days of fever and fatigue versus a few weeks in the hospital, permanent disability, or even death. And to those responsible for taking care of patients, it is your duty to protect yourself as well as your patients.

"Tennessee remains below the national trend with only 39.1 percent of Tennesseans fully vaccinated. Most recent data available show that 96 percent of all new cases in Tennessee are among unvaccinated individuals and 96.9 percent of all COVID-19 deaths were unvaccinated individuals.

"Last year, we did not have a vaccine to offer our patients to combat the viral spread and lessen the effects of COVID. Now we do.  Becoming fully immunized cuts a person's risk of COVID-19 by sevenfold.  The risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 is lessened twentyfold while potential for negative side effects of the vaccines is minimal."

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