Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader calls TN vaccination rates “discouraging and deadly”

FILE – In this March 26, 2021, file photo a member of the Philadelphia Fire Department prepares a dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site setup in Philadelphia. U.S. health officials say Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine may pose a “small possible risk” of a potentially dangerous neurological reaction. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday, July 12 that it has received reports of 100 people who got the shot developing an immune system disorder that can causes muscle weakness and occasionally paralysis. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

by: Nikki McGee

Posted: Jul 16, 2021 / 10:26 PM CDT

Updated: Jul 17, 2021 / 06:30 AM CDT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Dr. Bill Frist called for state leaders to ramp up vaccine efforts as Tennessee lags behind in COVID-19 vaccination rates.

The Republican, who was elected to office in 1994, is also a heart and lung transplant surgeon. He took to Twitter Friday, citing a poll that ranked Tennessee 44^th for the percentage of people vaccinated. Frist called the ranking “discouraging and deadly.”

#Tennessee ranks 44th in percentage of population fully vaccinated against #Covid19. That’s discouraging and deadly.
— Bill Frist, M.D. (@bfrist) July 16, 2021

“Tennessee can stand by science and save lives, or we can further a dangerous trend that is eroding public health and trust in government,” Frist said. “But it is the responsibility of our state’s leaders to take sometimes uncomfortable, even unpopular, positions when the health and lives of our people are at stake.”

From availability to current phases, find vaccine information for every Tennessee county using News 2’s Vaccine Tracker map.

Frist served as a senator between 1994 and 2006 and is now a cardiac surgery professor at Vanderbilt University.