Kemp expands vaccine eligibility as of March 8
by Wayne Hardy, White County News, and Beau Evans, Capitol Beat News Service
White County has seen its seven-day average of infections hit its lowest since October as Georgia readies to expand the list of those eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, including teachers.
The local average dropped to 2.9 daily cases on Feb. 26, according to the state Department of Public Health. That’s the lowest it has been since 2.4 on Oct. 30, which marked a steady decrease at that time – prior to that the county saw cases rise to their highest levels yet from November to January.
The seven-day rolling average was a 4 as of March 2.
There were 182 cases reported in February, down sharply from 659 in January and 688 in December.
Gov. Brian Kemp announced Feb. 25 that vaccines will be available for pre-k and k-12 school teachers and staff starting on March 8. Georgia adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as the parents of children who have complex medical conditions, will also be eligible on March 8.
Kemp traced his decision to expand vaccines to teachers on encouraging signs of increasing vaccine production from the Biden administration and the new Johnson & Johnson-brand vaccine that won high safety marks from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week.
The governor stressed he wants all Georgia public schools to return for in-person classes before year’s end as teachers are vaccinated, saying online classes amid the COVID-19 pandemic have dampened students’ education progress for too long.
“Virtual schooling is leaving too many children behind and parents at their wits’ end,” Kemp said. “We must have students back in the classroom, five days a week.”
Teachers and other soon-eligible groups will join health-care workers, nursing home residents and staff, first responders and Georgians ages 65 and older who have qualified for the vaccine for several weeks. Kemp added that demand for vaccine appointments will still exceed the state’s limited allotment of vaccines.
The White County School System announced Tuesday that students would not have classes on Thursday, March, 11 to allow teachers and staff the opportunity to get vaccinated. A previously scheduled teacher work day is also planned for March 12.
“The White County School System will continue to strive towards creating the safest learning environment for students and staff in these unprecedented times,” read the school system’s statement.
The News inquired about about confirming details for the school system’s plan for teacher and staff vaccinations, but details were not available as of presstime.
If all goes well with the March 8 rollout to teachers, Kemp said he will move to expand vaccine eligibility again in late March to additional groups that tend to be more vulnerable to contracting the virus.
Health Department moves vaccinations to The Bridge
As previously announced, the White County Health Department began holding its COVID-19 vaccinations at The Bridge Church (607 Husley Road) in Cleveland.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursday. Call 706-865-2191 to schedule an appointment, and leave a message if there is no immediate answer.
Health Department Nurse Manager Cindy King said 250 Moderna vaccines were given through Monday and Tuesday, with 75 more scheduled for that Wednesday. Additional vaccine had been delivered, allowing them to offer appointments to roughly 150 people on a waiting list, King said.
She added that the goal is to provide 200 doses per day, pending delivery of vaccine shipments from the state.
COVID-19 activity in White County
Source: Georgia Department of Public Health March 2 status report
• 2,869 total confirmed cases during pandemic
• 7-day moving average of cases
• 4 case average as of March 2
• Down from 4.4 on Feb. 23
• Recent: 8.1 on Feb. 16 and 7.6 on Feb. 9
• 182 cases reported in February
• January had 659, with December’s 688
being the highest count yet
• 62 deaths attributed to COVID-19
• White County School System: Its weekly status report released March 3 said there was currently two students who had reported positive for COVID-19 and 28 students quarantined for possible exposure at that time. There were no reports of staff members currently with a positive COVID-19 test or quarantined for possible exposure.
Checking on vaccine availability
Most local appointments are booked, but some providers advise checking back for updates. Information on providers throughout the state is available at dph.georgia.gov.
• White County Health Department and the District 2 Public Health Office
Updates are being posted at phdistrict2.org and www.facebook.com/district2publichealth. The White County Health Department’s number is 706-865-2191 and the district’s number is 770-531-5692.
• MedLink Georgia – White County
Call 706-521-3113.
• Cleveland Drug Company
Call 706-219-2626.
• Ingles Pharmacy
Availability is posted at www.ingles-markets.com/pharmacy/pg1/pharmacy-sub/vaccinations
• Northeast Georgia Health System / Northeast Georgia Physicians Group
Visit www.nghs.com/covid-19/vaccine-updates or call 678-989-5005 with vaccine questions.
• Habersham Medical Center
Updates will be posted to its Facebook page and www.habershammedical.com
• GEMA/HS Mass Vaccination Site – Clarkesville
Register online at MyVaccineGeorgia.com. Vaccines are administered by appointment only at the Habersham County Fairgrounds (4235 Toccoa Highway) in Clarkesville.