Governor Brian Kemp looked on this morning and applauded as healthcare workers administered their ten-thousandth shot at the state’s mass vaccination site in Clarkesville. Kemp was in town to tour the facility at the Habersham County Fairgrounds. It was his first visit to the site since it opened on February 22.
County commissioners and other local officials joined the governor during his brief visit.
“This facility just gave its ten-thousandth dose a second ago which is very exciting, especially in a part of rural Georgia like Habersham County,” Kemp said during a press conference after the tour. “This site’s moving the needle just like they are in downtown Atlanta.”
School teachers and staff now eligible for vaccine
After wrapping up his visit to Clarkesville, Kemp traveled to Gwinnett County where he was due to visit a vaccination site administering shots to educators and school staff who are, as of today, eligible to receive the vaccine.
The state expanded Phase 1A+ of its COVID vaccine administration plan to include pre-k thru 12 educators and staff, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers, and parents of children with complex medical conditions.
Over 900K seniors vaccinated
The Georgia Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 vaccine dashboard reported Sunday that over 900,000 Georgia seniors had received at least one vaccine dose and 81% of all state-controlled doses had been administered.
Kemp’s office lauded the news citing statistics showing Georgia has vaccinated 64% of its senior population. The national average of seniors receiving at least one dose, according to CDC and American Community Survey data, is 58%.
Public health data shows over 2.3 million vaccines have been administered in Georgia. 1,423,397 adults have received their first dose and 929,907 of them have received their second dose. Those numbers are expected to steadily rise now that Johnson & Johnson has released its single-dose vaccine and more people are eligible to receive shots in Georgia.
Those eligible to receive the vaccine under Phase 1A+ may schedule an appointment at any of the eight state-operated mass vaccination sites by visiting myvaccinegeorgia.com. Georgian’s may also connect with their local public health departments or view appointments offered by over 2,000 private healthcare providers at dph.georgia.gov.
