Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has opened the state up for residents 16 and older to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but that doesn’t mean that everyone can just go out and get the “jab.”
Since the initial release of the vaccines, Georgia has lagged behind the nation in receiving federal government-controlled stocks. According to the Governor’s office, Georgia ranks 49th in the total doses received per 100,000 people compared to other states. Only Utah has received less doses than Georgia, and that is for just the first round of vaccinations.
MORE: COVID-19 Vaccine to Be Made Available to All Georgians Aged 16 and Up
As a result of the shortage, the Governor has declared that the bulk of vaccines received will be
targeted to Metro Atlanta and north Georgia where the need is the greatest.
Compounding the issue is that only the two shot Pfizer and one shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines are currently available in Georgia. The Pfizer vaccine is the only one approved for children aged 16 and up.
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The Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) has nine “mass vaccination sites” throughout Georgia; however, none of those sites are even remotely close to the CSRA. According to University Hospital Communications Director Rebecca Sylvester, the hospital cannot set up any form of permanent clinic because the staff does not know from day to day how many doses they will receive.
“We have to request a certain amount,” Sylvester said “So far, we have only received a fraction
of what we requested.”
Michael Meyers of Gold Cross EMS said his company is working off of the same basis with the pop-up clinics it provide.
“We deliver to the public what is given to us,” Meyers said. “So far, we have been able to service the demand, but now that it is available to pretty much everyone, we know we will be experiencing a shortage of doses.”
Sylvester said that many people may still wait voluntarily so as to not get in line before someone who is badly in need of the vaccine.
“We are telling people to go ahead and register where they can, so we don’t have the opposite problem of having leftover doses,” she said.
Currently, due to the day-by-day availability, there is no way to register directly with the hospital. People should pay attention to the media to learn about locations when they become available, she said.
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According to Augusta University’s website, the clinic at Washington Square has no available appointments for the rest of the week. Those wishing to register can do so at COVID-19 Vaccine Update, augustahealth.org.
The Georgia Department of Public Health has vaccination sites in Augusta, Waynesboro, Grovetown and Evans. To get on the list for any of these locations, go to East Central Health District – East Central Health of Georgia’s website at ecphd.com to register.
Walmart, Kroger, Walgreens, CVS and Publix are also accepting registrations at the following
websites:
Flu Shots & Immunizations – Walmart.com
Kroger – COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments – Schedule Now
COVID-19 Vaccination | Walgreens Find Care
CVS – Online Drugstore, Pharmacy, Prescriptions & Health Information
COVID-19 Vaccine | Publix Super Markets
Gold Cross EMS will hold its next pop-up drive through clinic from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday, March 30 at Beulah Grove Baptist Church, 1434 Poplar St.
Residents are asked to only register for the vaccine once so as not to clog the system further.
Scott Hudson is the Managing Editor of The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
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