It’s official. The Habersham County Fairgrounds in Clarkesville will serve as one of four regional COVID-19 vaccination hubs in Georgia. The three other mass drive-through vaccination sites will be located in Macon, Albany, and Hapeville.
Gov. Brian Kemp made the announcement during a Thursday afternoon press conference in Atlanta. The sites will be run by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency.
“Our goal is for these sites to administer 22,000 vaccines per week between all four with the ability to expand that capacity as supply allows,” the governor said. He praised the local community partners who have worked with the state to identify and prepare the sites and included Habersham County Manager Phil Sutton in that group.
According to GEMA/HS, the drive-through sites will operate from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and will have the capacity to vaccinate 1,100 people per day.
“GEMA/HS’ efforts are designed to address the vaccination needs of underserved populations that have been hardest hit by COVID-19,” says the agency’s Director Chris Stallings. “The four sites selected all have surrounding populations with high percentages of minorities and individuals with incomes below the poverty line.”
The locations of the GEMA/HS Mass Vaccination Sites are as follows:
- Delta Air Museum, 1220 Woolman Place SW, Hapeville, Georgia 30354
- Albany Georgia Forestry Site, 2910 Newton Road, Albany, GA 31701
- Habersham County Fairgrounds, 4235 Toccoa Highway Clarkesville, GA 30523
- Macon Farmers Market, 2055 Eisenhower Parkway, Macon, GA 31206
GEMA will be administering the Pfizer vaccine at its mass vaccination sites. Appointments are mandatory and may be made by visiting https://MyVaccineGeorgia.com.
Only individuals who meet the phase 1A+ guidelines are eligible for vaccination at this time. This phase includes healthcare workers, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, adults aged 65+ and their caregivers, and first responders (law enforcement, fire personnel, volunteer fire departments, dispatchers, and 9-1-1 operators).
“The GEMA/HS Mass Vaccination Sites will not accept walk-ups, and we are strictly adhering to the guidelines for who is eligible for vaccination,” says Stallings. “We highly encourage people to complete the registration process using a mobile device, which makes the intake process faster.”
Registrants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not receive a vaccine. Only one appointment can be made per person. People that require special assistance can use the TTY number.
Benefits and concerns
Sen. Bo Hatchett says the mass vaccination sites are an important step in the state’s pandemic recovery.
“I’m glad the governor has acknowledged the importance of strategically placing a vaccination site in Habersham county. This site will be extremely beneficial for all of North Georgia,” says Hatchett.
While the aim is to make vaccinations more accessible to North Georgians, some residents worry about the potential impacts of having a mass COVID-19 vaccination site in their home county.
Habersham has the fourth-highest cumulative number of COVID-19 infections and the second-highest virus-related death toll in Northeast Georgia. Some residents have expressed their concerns about bringing mass numbers of people into a county already struggling to manage the disease.
Commissioner Bruce Harkness says he only recently learned of the site and did not have any input into the matter. “That may have been because I am a new commissioner,” he says, adding, “I do worry about the potential cost to our local taxpayers.”
Harkness points primarily to traffic concerns. With the site outfitted to administer up to 1,100 shots per day, that’s a potentially large influx of people from out of town.
Habersham Sheriff Joey Terrell tells Now Habersham that his department “will not be involved” in managing traffic control. Sutton says that will be handled by state law enforcement.
Terrell says he was aware of the project but it was kept tightly under wraps until Gov. Kemp unveiled the plan Thursday. There has been no public discussion of cost or impact on the county.
In a press release issued after the governor’s announcement, Sutton said, “I am excited for our county to take part in such an important process. We are ready to get started.”
According to Commissioner Bruce Palmer, the vaccines and administration costs will be covered using federal funds and won’t affect local taxpayers. The state paid for some prep work done at the site.
“Some paving and fencing improvements were done at the fairgrounds funded by GDOT [Georgia Department of Transportation],” says Palmer. “There will obviously be some traffic congestion with people coming to the site for vaccinations. I would suggest local traffic avoid the area as much as possible during hours of operation.”
Whatever congestion or other problems hosting a regional vaccination hub might bring to Habersham, the county’s elected officials say it will also wield benefits such as potentially providing more vaccines for county residents. Commissioner Tim Stamey says any excess vaccine will be distributed through the local health department.
“GEMA will remove from the freezers each day the doses to provide for those scheduled. There will always be people who, for whatever reason, cannot make their appointment. According to GEMA and the Governor, shots belong in arms, not in the trash. GEMA will be working with our local health department to vaccinate standby people to prevent waste of vaccine,” Stamey tells Now Habersham. “That reason alone makes this a win for the citizens of Habersham County.”
Despite his reservations about traffic and potential costs, Commissioner Harkness remains hopeful that the mass vaccination site will be a positive thing for Habersham and the county’s rural North Georgia neighbors.
“I hope that this will help open up the vaccine to all our citizens because, right now, it’s not available to a great percentage of our population,” says Harkness. He also expresses hope that serving as a regional hub might boost the local economy. “Those traveling through here will need to buy gas and buy food and maybe stop and shop with our local merchants.”
Keep existing appointments
Public health officials urge those with existing vaccination appointments to keep those appointments with their current provider.
“The GEMA site is completely independent from other providers,” explains District 2 Public Health spokesperson Dave Palmer. He says the best way for people to look at it is “they are just another provider in the area.”
Vaccination sites run by the Georgia Department of Public Health, businesses, and private providers will continue to operate. For a list of current providers in Georgia, click here.
For more information on GEMA/HS Mass Vaccination Sites or to make an appointment, visit myvaccinegeorgia.com.
This article has been updated to include additional comments
