MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Shelby County Health Department is adding funeral home directors and employees to the list to be among the first to get the COVID vaccine.
On New Year’s Eve, funeral home directors and workers were given the green light to get inoculated at COVID-19 sites.
“Those who work in mortuary sciences as funeral directors are able to get their vaccine,” said Shelby County Health director Dr. Alisa Haushalter. “They can go to either the Sycamore View site or the Lindenwood site.”
It’s welcome news for funeral home directors such as Brent Taylor. The former Memphis city councilman is the owner of Brent Taylor and Paul B. McCarver Funeral Directors.
“It’s doubly important that our staff, funeral home, death-care workers be included in the early vaccination,” Taylor said. “Because we’re not only dealing with the decedents who many times passed away from COVID, but also their caregivers in making funeral arrangements have been exposed to COVID.”
COVID-19 has brought about many changes, such as live streaming of funeral services and other protocols.
“In our funeral home we maintain social distancing away from the public,” Taylor said. “Our chapel is setup where we do only 50 percent capacity and everybody maintains that six-foot social distancing.”
And Taylor has already begun contacting his employees about the vaccine.
“I’ve sent out a memo to all of my employees, roughly 50 employees. I’ve sent out a memo asking them to schedule their vaccination,” Taylor said.
They’re prioritizing death care workers for COVID vaccines in hopes of saving lives.
“None of us want to see a life cut short because of the virus. I’m in the funeral business and that’s not how I want to grow my business,” Taylor said.
The health department director says the vaccine distribution process is fluid and for others to check their website to see when more priority groups can get vaccinated.
