Walker, Catoosa and Dade counties set up regional Vaccination Station
Officials urge everyone to get COVID-19 vaccination
Seventeen public officials turned out Wednesday, March 24, for a news conference to get the word out that Walker, Catoosa and Dade counties have joined forces to create a regional center for COVID-19 vaccinations.
The Catoosa-Dade-Walker Vaccination Station launched March 24 at the Catoosa Colonnade at 264 Catoosa Circle in Ringgold. The three counties have combined resources to offer safe, fast and free protection against the coronavirus with this regional drive-thru vaccination site, officials said.
All Georgians age 16 and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine effective March 25, Gov. Brian Kemp announced March 23.
Catoosa County Board of Commissioners Chairman Steven Henry, speaking at the news conference, said the three counties have formed a regional partnership and worked together “every step of the way.”
In Catoosa County, about 20,000 vaccines had been administered as of March 24, Henry said, adding that the county has about 6,000 vaccines on hand at any given point. The county has a population of about 69,000.
Walker County Commission Chairman Shannon Whitfield said about 14,000 vaccines had been administered in his county as of March 24. The county has a population of about 70,000.
“This is truly a team effort,” Whitfield said about the Vaccination Station, “and we’ve really come together as a community. And this allows us to have one central location where people can come and be vaccinated, get in and out very quickly.”
The average time for a vaccination at the regional station is about 15 minutes, Henry said.
Eligible Georgia residents, as well as eligible Georgia workers who live in neighboring counties in Tennessee and Alabama, can sign up online for an appointment at the Catoosa Colonnade. Additionally, Georgia residents can fill out a required Vaccine Information and Consent Form online, print the form and bring it to their scheduled vaccine appointment.
Appointment times, including evening hours, are being offered according to demand. By registering for an appointment, a vaccination will be reserved for each person. Failure to show up for a scheduled appointment means a vaccine is unavailable for someone else in need.
An express lane is available for those who bring their printed and completed Vaccine Information and Consent form in advance of their scheduled appointment at the vaccination station.
COVID-19 vaccines have been deemed safe and effective by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC recommends getting a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you are eligible. The vaccine remains the most effective tool available for getting families, communities, schools and workplaces “back
to normal” sooner.
Officials at the news conference also emphasized the vaccine’s safety and the need to get it.
“There is nothing wrong with this vaccine,” Henry said. “We’re very fortunate, very blessed to have it. I want to get through COVID as quick as possible and I think everybody else does too.”
Henry said his 85-year-old mother took the vaccine and “had no problems at all.” He said residents up to 100 years old have taken it in Catoosa. “To my knowledge we haven’t had any major incidents (bad reactions) in the county,” he said.
“Do your research because COVID is real,” added Dade County Commission Chairman Ted Rumley, who spoke about the death of Alan Bradford, a Dade County commissioner who died Tuesday, March 23, after a lengthy battle with COVID-19.
“It has really hit home to us, losing Alan,” Rumley said.
Henry said Catoosa County is receiving vaccines weekly, usually during the first half of the week.
“This week alone we were able to get about 4,000 doses of vaccine,” he said.
The doses are stored in an ultra-cold freezer and remain useable while frozen. Once thawed, they must be used, he said, emphasizing that recipients should keep their appointments. If an appointment needs to be changed, that can be done online at any of the counties’ websites or Facebook pages.
“We try to make it as easy as possible,” he said.
The super-freezer at the Vaccination Station cost about $10,000 and stores about 12,000 doses, Henry said.
A survey is being conducted to find out what times best suit residents for getting the vaccine, Henry said. Most people, he said, prefer Saturdays, “so we’re looking at doing that in the next couple of weeks.” Mobile vaccines are another possibility, he said. In Catoosa, the county’s bus transit system is being used to get people to vaccinations. Meanwhile, Walker County is working on plans to use its transit for the same goal, a county official said.
Officials pointed out that the Vaccination Station in Catoosa County supplements incounty vaccination setups at county health departments and elsewhere.
The Vaccination Station is particularly convenient for those living in the three counties but who work in Chattanooga. “This is to help people in the Chattanooga area that actually go to work there every day,” Rumley said.
Henry addressed concerns that many of the 17 public officials attending the March 24 news conference were not wearing masks, including himself. “Everyone behind me has been vaccinated,” he said. “That’s one of the perks of getting your vaccine. The CDC came out with their guidelines yesterday, that you can be around people who’ve been vaccinated without wearing a mask.”