Editor’s note: Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King spoke to The Augusta Press earlier this week after meeting with Leadership Augusta to discuss how the Georgia Insurance Commission’s Office is assisting with the COVID-19 response. “Leadership Augusta is a professional development program started more than 30 years ago with the goal of identifying and educating current and potential community leaders in the CSRA,” according to its website.
Gov. Brian Kemp appointed King to lead the COVID-19 vaccine distribution task force in September.
As part of the governor’s directive, he is traveling throughout Georgia, spreading COVID-19 vaccination awareness through local leaders and media outlets. King received the vaccine while deployed to the Navajo Nation as a member of the U.S. Army National Guard.
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“You can only do so much from Atlanta,” King said and pointed out the increased credibility associated with local appearances versus televised public service messages. “You have to have folks in the local community who are willing to take the vaccine and then talk about their experience.”
Despite the low vaccination availability, King expects increased supplies of the COVID-19 vaccination in the upcoming weeks and months. Although the initial shortage of the vaccine is no surprise, the state did not get the number of vaccines it was promised, he said.
“The biggest challenge right now is vaccine availability from the federal government,” King said. He added that Gov. Kemp’s team is pressing the (Biden) administration to make sure Georgia gets its fair number of shots.
King views the lag in distribution as an opportunity to develop logistical systems and solid distribution networks, especially in more rural parts of the state. Once distribution ramps up, sites fashioned after Augusta University Health’s models will exist around Georgia, he said. Working closely with the local hospital, King intends to use lessons learned at AU in testing and vaccine rollout throughout the state. He considers the interdisciplinary research facility an aggressive, innovative leader.
“Augusta University Health has been leading in this effort,” he said. “They are one of the best on the East Coast as far as I am concerned.”
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As variant strains of the virus emerge, King said it is even more important for people to have a baseline of immunization in place. A basic level of protection strengthens resistance and reduces the chances of complications requiring hospitalization.
“Because this is a living organism and it’s adapting, ideally if we had 90 percent or above of people vaccinated, there would be no room for the virus to replicate itself because people are protected by the baseline,” he said.
Georgia’s vaccination distribution continues to focus on healthcare workers and senior citizens. Teachers are not in the same category of risk, King said.
“The rest will get the vaccine as more vaccines are produced,” he said but was unsure of how soon educators would be included in the state’s immunization plan. “As soon as we get more allocations from the federal government.”
Nationally, health-related agencies are focused on making sure they take care of and protect Americans, and get the country back to some semblance of normalcy, King said. He professed faith in Georgia-based institutions like Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The best and brightest brains in the nation are working on this virus,” he said.
Shellie Smitley is a staff writer for The Augusta Press. Reach her at Shellie@theaugustapress.com
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