Vaccine access rapidly expanding
Georgia will open a mass vaccination site at LakePoint in Bartow County.
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Buoyed by a surge in vaccine shipments, states and cities are rapidly expanding eligibility for COVID-19 shots to teachers and other groups as the U.S. races to beat back the virus and reopen businesses and schools.
Five more mass COVID-19 vaccine sites are set to open in Georgia later this month as teachers and school workers land on the eligibility list March 8, Gov. Brian Kemp said on Wednesday.
The additional vaccine sites add to four other locations that opened last month in metro Atlanta, Macon, Albany and Habersham County.
The new sites will open in Bartow County at the LakePoint Sports Complex as well as in Savannah, Columbus, Waycross and Washington County.
The five new sites are scheduled to open on March 17 and administer a minimum of 20,000 doses each week with teachers, adults with behavioral and intellectual disabilities and parents of children with complex medical conditions first in line to receive shots.
“I feel like we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Kemp said at a news conference at the state Capitol.
Georgians can pre-register for a vaccine appointment at myvaccinegeorgia. com even if they do not yet qualify under the governor’s eligibility criteria. They will be notified once they qualify and scheduled for an appointment.
Despite Kemp’s optimism in the Wednesday press conference, the state is till struggling where vaccine distribution is concerned. Georgia is in last place among U.S. states in the pace of vaccination.
As of noon on Tuesday, Georgia Public Broadcasting reported, 3,067,745 vaccine doses have been delivered to the state of Georgia and 2,085,047 have been administered.
That leaves 982,698 unused, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. That quantity is also expected to receive a boost of 83,000 weekly doses from the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
That will bring Georgia’s weekly vaccine shipments to 223,000 doses starting next week.
The new vaccine sites and shipments come as COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations continue to drop after a spike over the winter holiday season.
Roughly 823,000 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in Georgia as of Wednesday afternoon, with nearly 192,000 more reported positive antigen tests indicating likely positive results. The virus has killed 15,349 Georgians.
Some states lower age
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Arizona, Connecticut and Indiana have thrown open the line to the younger 55-andolder age bracket. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are reserving the first doses of the new one-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson for teachers. And in Detroit, factory workers can get vaccinated starting this week, regardless of their age.
Up to now, the vaccination campaign against the scourge that has killed over a half-million Americans has concentrated mostly on health care workers and senior citizens.
Around the U.S., politicians and school administrators have been pushing hard in recent weeks to reopen classrooms to stop students from falling behind and to enable more parents to go back to work instead of supervising their children’s education. But teachers have resisted returning without getting vaccinated.
The U.S. has administered nearly 80 million shots in a vaccination drive now hitting its stride, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 20% of the nation’s adults, or close to 52 million people, have received at least one dose, and 10% have been fully inoculated.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday the U.S. expects to have enough vaccine by the end of May for all adults, two months earlier than anticipated, though it is likely to take longer than that to administer those shots. He also pushed states to get at least one shot into the arms of teachers by the end of March and said the government will provide the doses directly through its pharmacy program.
In Wisconsin, teachers will get priority when the state receives its first shipment of about 48,000 doses of the J&J vaccine, health authorities said. Pennsylvania teachers will likewise be first in line when an expected 94,000 doses of the J&J formula arrive this week.
Giving the vaccine to teachers and other school staff “will help protect our communities. It’s going to take burdens off our parents and families. It’s going to make our schools get back to the business of teaching our kids,” Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced this week that educators, school staff and child care workers can now get shots.
Tennessee will open up vaccinations Monday to an estimated 1 million people over 16 who have high-risk health conditions and those in households with medically fragile children.
“This is a massive population,” Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said. “There are a lot of people who will qualify.”
March
The Oostanaula School Community Club, 1595 Oostanaula Bend Road, will be holding a Pot Luck Supper on Saturday at 5 p.m. with entertainment by Wayne Howell and Highway 411, as well as cakewalks and door prizes with COVID measure in place. The club is working to get the club up and running again for benefits, weddings, showers, birthday parties and other events. The building rents for $100 per day. For more information call Pat at 706-767-7926, Jo Ann at 706-263-0145 or Barbara at 770-608-2050.
Crane Eater Community Church
will host a Chili Cookoff today starting at noon. It is $10.00 to enter a chili and $5.00 to eat. There will be a cake/ baked goods auction and bingo multi games with prize giveaways for each game with last game cash payout of 25% of pot from money raised from bingo card sales. Cash winners for judge’s champion and people’s choice winner on chili will be announced.
Fellowship Baptist Church of Plainville
will host a singing on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Brian Free and Assurance will be the guest singers and a dinner will be catered. Masks will be provided and social distancing will be practiced. There will be no charge and a love offering will be taken for the singers. Everyone is invited.
The Gordon County Board of Education will hold their next regularly scheduled meeting Monday at the Gordon County College and Career Academy, 305 Beamer Road. Work session begins at 6:15 with the meeting following directly after.
The town of Resaca will hold a budget hearing at the Resaca Town Hall, 330 Walker St., Resaca, Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The Rome Chapter of The Compassionate Friends will meet Thursday at 7 p.m. at Life Church, 19 John Davenport Drive in Rome. This is a support group for those who have lost their child, grandchild or sibling. For more information contact Sandra 706506-6108 or DeeAnn 706-936-9021.
Fellowship Baptist Church of Plainville
will host a singing Friday, March 12, with doors opening at 5:30 and singing starting at 7 p.m. Greater Vision will be the guest singers and a lover offering will be taken. Everyone is invited.
AdventHealth Gordon
is hosting a diabetes education class on Tuesday, March 16, from 9 a.m. to noon in Conference Room A. Designed to provide information and education to those diagnosed with diabetes, participants will learn about diabetes management, exercise, long-term complication prevention, medications, diet, problem- solving, coping and more. Free glucose meters, diabetic-friendly foods and other free samples will be available. Classes will be limited to 6 participants and a guest. Masks are required to be worn while on campus of AdventHealth Gordon.
For more information or to RSVP, please call 706602-7800 ext. 2310.
The second annual Calhoun Recreation Department Miracle
Run will take place Saturday, March 20, at 10 a.m. starting at the Black and Yellow Park playground pavilion. Registration is $20 and includes a Tshirt. The event benefits the Winner’s Club and Camp New Adventure.
For more information call 706-629-0177.
Gordon Central High School Baseball is hosting a golf tournament
Wednesday, March 31, at Fields Ferry, 581 Fields Ferry Drive. Lunch will be served at 11 a.m. with the four person scramble beginning at noon in a shotgun start. Cost is $100 per person.