Local health department still pushing public to get vaccinated

JACKSON, TN (WNBJ) - The COVID-19 Pandemic is still a lingering issue for many states across the U.S.

The state of Tennessee is among the states with the lowest vaccination rates in the country.

State and local agencies are pushing for more people to get vaccinated because medical experts say that the COVID vaccine will protect you from the Delta variant.

The Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department says there are currently no cases of the delta variant in the county, but they will continue to keep their eye on the developing situation.

“You know we have been living and breathing COVID-19 since last year. This is something we are obviously looking at and we are keeping track of just know that we need more people to get vaccinated,” said Mallory Cooke the PIO, the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department.

As of June 18th, the Tennessee Department of Health says there were 19 cases of the Delta variant in Tennessee which is very low compared to other variant counts and not the leading variant in the state, which is the Alpha variant.

They say the Delta variant is more contagious than other variants so the state health department encourages everyone to get the vaccine because it is the best defense against coronavirus and any new variant.