Health care officials in North Georgia said Wednesday they are making steady progress at administering the COVID-19 vaccine, but they also acknowledged that demand for it far exceeds the current available supply.
Officials at Northeast Georgia Medical Center and Longstreet Clinic said they hope to ramp up the number of clinics they will offer to residents over the age of 65, the current group eligible for the vaccine, as more doses become available.
Georgia has about 2 million residents over 65. But the state's supply lags behind that number, said Dr. Zachary Taylor of District 2 Public Health.
"The task we have in front of us to protest those who are 65 and older is enormous," Taylor said. "It's very important that we get this group of people vaccinated primarily because we want to protect them. They are the ones who tend to have more severe illnesses. They are the ones who tend to be hospitalized. And frankly, the vast majority of our deaths have occurred in this population."
The NGHS website has updated information about locations where the vaccine is available, including medical facilities and businesses like Kroger and Publix pharmacies. Click here to see the information.
Additional clinics will be added by the health department, NGHS and Longstreet as more doses become available. Taylor said he is confident second doses will be available for those who need it.
Health officials updated the public on the vaccine during a video meeting sponsored by the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce.
Officials insisted the vaccine is safe, despite the speed at which it was developed, and they encouraged all residents to get the vaccine as soon as it is available to them.
"I know if might look like the vaccine came out in record time," Supriya Mannepalli, infectious disease specialist at NGHS. "But I want to reassure everyone that the reason the vaccine was able to come out and be available to all of us in record time because of what we've learned over decades and we are in an emergency, disaster situation with the pandemic."
She said the vaccine does not contain any live virus, so it will not give patients the disease. But she said some mild side effects, such as headaches, fever, fatigue and soreness at the injection site, are possible. Those side effect should go away in a day or so, she said.
The number of patients hospitalized at NGHS facilities has dropped in the last few days, down to 307 on Wednesday after reaching a high of 355 nearly two weeks ago.
"I have some hope, finally, that we're beginning to turn the corner," Dr. John Delzell, the vice president of medical education at NGHS.
