Montgomery County and City of Clarksville Employees Receive First of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines
December 28th, 2020 - Communications Dept.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. – Last week, the Montgomery County Health Department received its first shipment of
the Moderna vaccine. A group of 10 first responders and public safety personnel representing Montgomery
County and City of Clarksville employees received the first of the newly FDA authorized Moderna vaccines in
Montgomery County. The vaccines were administered by nurses from the Montgomery County Health Department at
the Emergency Operations Center on Monday, Dec. 21.
“I appreciate that these employees stepped forward to take the vaccine and I am thankful for the work they
do each day to keep our community healthy and safe. This is the first of many steps we need to take in order
to get to the other side of this pandemic,” stated Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett.
“We are excited to have these vaccines and see our COVID-19 vaccination activities underway in our
community,” said Montgomery County Health Director Joey Smith. “We’ve been preparing for months to
distribute approved vaccines and we believe this will be a safe and effective tool in the fight against
COVID-19.”
The 10 employees were selected based on the list predetermined “high-risk” criteria established by the
Tennessee Department of Health and include Dustin Haas and Jessie Ferrell with County Emergency Medical
Services, Hope Peterson with 911 Dispatch, Mark Chandler and Robert Jones with Clarksville Fire and Rescue,
Fred Smith and Charles Hummel with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Steve Hamilton and Tina Slaven
with Clarksville Police Department and Tammy Arms with Emergency Management Agency.
“While it is extremely important that we take these steps to offer greater protection for our most exposed
populations, we must keep in mind that we all need to mask up, social distance and avoid gathering to
minimize the spread of this virus,” added City of Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts.
The Tennessee Department of Health will provide data on COVID-19 vaccines administered in the state via a new
online dashboard which will be updated each Tuesday and Friday.
Chandler, the first to receive the vaccination in Clarksville, Montgomery County said, “I’m honored to be a
part of this. It’s great to see Montgomery County taking care of the people who take care of Montgomery
County.”
Initial supplies of the COVID-19 vaccines are limited. The first allocations of both the Moderna and Pfizer
COVID-19 vaccines in Tennessee will be used to provide first vaccine doses to individuals qualifying for
Phase 1a1, as detailed in the COVID-19
Vaccination Plan for Tennessee. Tennessee’s COVID-19 vaccination plan was last updated Dec. 2 and
will be modified as more is learned about the vaccines Tennessee will receive.
It’s important to note these Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are not interchangeable; each patient must
receive two doses of the same vaccine to be protected against COVID-19. Those who choose to receive the
vaccine will receive a card with the date of their first dose, the name/manufacturer of the vaccine received
and the date on which they should receive their second dose.
Tennessee’s plan for allocation of COVID-19 vaccine has been thoughtfully developed with a focus on how best
to serve our diverse populations and communities, and to ensure distribution of vaccination sites across all
95 counties, especially in rural areas and those with high concentrations of people in vulnerable
populations.
Tennessee’s local health departments continue to offer COVID-19 testing five days a week at no charge to
those wishing to be tested. TDH testing sites across the state began employing self-testing kits for adults
three days a week beginning Dec. 21, to allow staff members to transition to vaccination of frontline health
care providers and first responders. Find testing hours and contact information for TDH health department
testing sites online at https://covid19.tn.gov/testing-sites/.