For First Dose COVID-19 Vaccine, Beginning April 13

 The Hamilton County Health Department will allow unfilled first dose vaccination appointments at all of their vaccination sites to serve as “instant appointments” beginning tomorrow, April 13. This change will not affect wait times for those with pre-scheduled appointments. People with appointments will be seen in their scheduled time slots.

People who live, work or attend school in Hamilton County will be able to drive up to one of the Health Department’s first dose vaccination sites between 9 AM and 3 PM to receive an “instant appointment” if slots are available. People must drive to the vaccination site to check for an “instant appointment” availability. There is no guarantee a drive-up appointment will be available at that time.

Call 423-209-8383 to determine which Health Department vaccination sites are open for first dose appointments.

“The best way to ensure you have an appointment when you want it is still to make an appointment ahead of time,” said Health Department Administrator Becky Barnes. “However, we feel we can now make this adjustment to allow more flexibility for our community as vaccine capacity has increased both at the Health Department and community provider sites.”

People age 16 years and older who live, work, or attend school in Hamilton County who wish to schedule an appointment are encouraged to visit vaccine.hamiltontn.gov to make an appointment online. Those who do not have access to the internet can call the appointment call center to make an appointment over the phone:

• First dose appointments: 423-209-5398
• Spanish appointment line: 423-209-5384

The call center is open Monday-Friday from 8 AM-4 PM. Due to high call volume, callers may experience a busy signal and need to hang up and call back.

Additional Resources:

• The Health Department’s general COVID-19 hotline 423-209-8383 is available to connect people to vaccine and testing resources. Hours are Monday-Friday from 8 AM-4 PM and Saturday 10 AM-3 PM. Bilingual representatives are available.
• For a list of accepted documentation and general appointment guidelines, visit the FAQ page.
• To read this announcement in Spanish, visit our Spanish Facebook page at facebook.com/SaludHamiltonTN.