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Laurie Politano, RN, gave Denyse Brennan her second dose of the coronavirus vaccine at the MedLink Georgia vaccination clinic held Feb. 25 at Resurrection Episcopal Church. (Photo/Stephanie Hill) -
Laurie Politano, RN, gave Densye Brennan her second dose of the coronavirus vaccine at the MedLink Georgia vaccination clinic held Feb. 25 at Resurrection Episcopal Church. (Photo/Stephanie Hill)
COVID-19 vaccination efforts were in full swing this week with multiple mass patient clinics led by the White County Health Department, MedLink Georgia and state emergency management.
The White County Health Department held an appointment-only point of dispensing (POD) operation Feb. 23 at The Bridge Church in Cleveland. The 609 vaccines administered were mostly first doses given to those eligible under the state’s Phase 1A rollout, said Nurse Manager Cindy King.
About 60 personnel were assigned to assist the health department at the POD, included some from White County offices, such as fire services, EMS, emergency management and the sheriff’s office, along with aid from the Truett McConnell University nursing program and White County School System.
On Wednesday morning, King said health department staff planned to provide an estimated 175 vaccine that day and 85 second doses on Thursday, with help from county Emergency Management Agency and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members to wrap up its first POD clinic.
“The community spirit and involvement in implementing our POD plan was exceptional,” King said.
Starting Monday, March 1, the Health Department will begin regularly administering COVID-19 vaccines by appointment at The Bridge Church (607 Husley Road) Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. King said the goal is to provide 200 doses per day, pending delivery of vaccine shipments from the state.
To schedule an appointment, call 706-865-2191.
“Please be patient, and leave a message if you do not get an immediate answer,” King said.
King and County Chairman Travis Turner credited collaboration among government and private entities, such as the host church.
“It’s awesome to see public and private partnerships at work for our entire community’s benefit,” Turner said.
The move to the larger facility with additional parking allowed for more spacing and processing of patients. Patrick Ballington, lead pastor of The Bridge, said when the church relocated to its Husley Road location, it considered how to design its building so it could serve community needs.
“It really is a great opportunity. This is the first time we’ve seen the building used at this scale,” Ballington said Tuesday at the POD. “It seems to be laid out well, seems to be done well. I am just glad that we’re able to step up and meet the needs there.”
Turner added that the county has maintained a pandemic response and vaccine dispensing plan for more than 12 years.
“Now that we have had to utilize it, it makes you appreciate that we have a plan in place, something that we could rely upon to give us some sort of guidance in these situations.”
On Wednesday, Feb. 24, MedLink Georgia’s White County office hosted its latest mass vaccine clinic, this time at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Sautee Nacoochee. Practice Manager Carolina Munoz anticipated 150 people would be vaccinated.
MedLink Georgia is planning additional mass vaccination days March 24 and April 24, she added.
“We still have a long waitlist, however, we are going down the list and calling patients to schedule their appointments,” Munoz said.
MedLink is still scheduling Phase 1A patients at its Cleveland office on Wednesdays and Fridays. It had previously held a mass vaccination clinic Jan. 27 at The Bridge Church.
The Habersham County Fairgrounds in Clarkesville is one of four locations that opened Feb. 22 as mass vaccination sites operated by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency.
Officials say the drive-through operation has the capacity to serve 1,100 people per day.
The site will operate Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Required appointments can be made at MyVaccineGeorgia.com. (This is separate from appointments or waiting lists managed by health departments or private providers.) People may also register for updates about expanded eligibility at the website.
Visitors will enter the fairgrounds at 4235 Toccoa Highway and stop at a check-in booth to verify their appointment. Patients will be directed through the site, ultimately driving through the designated bays to receive their vaccine.
Three similar operations are in Hapeville, Albany and Macon.
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.
COVID-19 Activity in White County
Source: Georgia Department of Public Health Feb. 23 status report
• 2,844 total confirmed cases during pandemic
• 7-day moving average of cases
• 4.4 case average as of Feb. 23
• Down from 8.1 on Feb. 16
• Recent: 7.6 on Feb. 9 and 13.4 on Feb. 2
• 158 cases reported this month through Feb. 23
• January had 659, with December’s 688 being the highest count yet
• 61 deaths attributed to COVID-19
• White County School System: Its weekly status report released Feb. 24 said there was currently one student who had reported positive for COVID-19 and three students quarantined for possible exposure at that time. There were zero reports of a staff member with a positive COVID-19 test, and three staff members quarantined for possible exposure.