Adults 65 and older, first responders eligible for COVID vaccine Jan. 11
More Georgians will soon be able to receive COVID-19 vaccinations.
Beginning Monday, Jan. 11, adults age 65 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, as will first responders who’ve not already been vaccinated, announced Gov. Brian Kemp and Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey last week.
“Following the expert guidance of Dr. Toomey, the CDC and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, Georgia will move to expand Phase 1-A vaccination criteria within the next two weeks to include the elderly, law enforcement officers, firefighters and first responders, provided the state continues to receive adequate vaccine supplies,” said Kemp in a statement issued Dec. 30.
“We will continue to monitor the administration efforts of our public health workers and partners in the private sector, and the supply chain of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to ensure eligible Georgians are vaccinated without delay.”
Jennifer King, public information officer for the North Georgia Health District, said caregivers for adults age 65 and older will also be among those eligible to receive the vaccine beginning Jan. 11.
Krystal Sumner, nurse manager at the Gilmer County Health Department, said the vaccinations will be offered there by appointment only. Eligible persons who wish to be vaccinated at the local health department need to make an appointment by calling 706-635-4363.
Earlier this week, the North Georgia Health District announced that county health departments within the six-county district will transition their focus from COVID-19 testing to meeting the increased demand for vaccinations.
Also beginning Jan. 11, testing will be offered at health departments in Fannin, Gilmer, Murray and Pickens only for symptomatic first responders, school employees and court staff Monday-Friday, from 8-9 a.m. In Cherokee and Whitfield counties, testing will continue to be provided to anyone who needs it Monday-Friday, 8-11 a.m., by appointment only.
Per Georgia Public Health, the next planned stages for dispensing the COVID-19 vaccine are Phase 1-B, which will include critical workforce employees and people at higher risk of developing a severe case of the virus, and Phase 1-C, which will include adults under age 65 with significant comorbidities and people at higher risk of severe COVID-19 who’ve not previously been vaccinated. Specific timeframes for those phases have not been announced yet.
King said, as of Dec. 31, 131 doses of the vaccine had been given at the Gilmer Health Department during the initial part of Phase 1-A, in which health care workers and staff and residents of long-term care facilities are being vaccinated.
“We’re having to see who will come to get the vaccine and how quickly we can provide it to them. That has a lot to do with why we are moving so quickly into this phase,” she added.
“Gilmer is a smaller county with fewer of the people in that (first) category, and that’s something we’re finding across the state. In the initial phase, some counties were able to (vaccinate) only so many people who were eligible and willing.”
With the vaccine rollout still in its early stages, Georgia Public Health still urges everyone to wear a mask and practice social distancing and frequent handwashing. A release issued earlier this week states:
“While the COVID-19 vaccine is 95 percent effective in preventing illness in the individual being vaccinated, it is not yet known if the vaccine fully prevents person-to-person transmission or asymptomatic infections.”