After a slow start to its coronavirus vaccine rollout, Georgia is reporting progress in getting people injected though it is still behind the best-performing states in the country.
Kemp said in a statement Georgia had “a long way to go,” but the latest figures show “encouraging progress” amid a limited supply of vaccine.
In Bulloch County, the Bulloch County Health Department is set up as one of four COVID vaccine clinics in the 16-county Southeast Health District. District Public Information Officer Katie Hadden, however, said no more vaccine appointments are available through the first week of February at the Statesboro office on Altman St.
“The Bulloch location does not have any available COVID-19 vaccine appointments for the remainder of January, but we do have openings beginning in the second week of February,” she said.
Public Health Commissioner Kathleen Toomey said the state continues work on a centralized reservation system for vaccines after complaints about busy phone lines and crashed websites when the state started allowing anyone over 65 to get a shot.
“There’s been, I know, a tremendous frustration that it’s difficult to make an appointment,” she said.
In Bulloch County, the difficulty with getting an appointment now stems more from a lack of available vaccine than previous phone issues.
In addition to the Health Department, 10 other providers in Bulloch County have received some allocation of vaccine, though none have received any additional vaccine since at least Jan. 13, according to the Georgia Department of Public Heath website.
Len McCook with McCook’s Pharmacy said they received 200 additional vaccines Wednesday and other local providers also may have just received more vaccine. But, as of Tuesday, the website indicates that of the 8,900 vaccines requested in Bulloch, 5,100 have been delivered.
The Bulloch Health Department has received all 1,300 of the vaccines it requested. Also, the Bulloch Wellness Center, which is part of the Southeast Health District, has received all 300 of the vaccines it requested. But only one other provider has received the full amount of its vaccine request – The Prescription Shop on South Zetterower Ave. has received the 300 vaccines it requested.
Some requests have been minimally filled – Georgia Southern University Health Services requested 1,500 doses and has received only 100 – or not at all – Victoria Family Practice on Coach Lee Hill Johnson Blvd. has received none of the 1,950 vaccines it requested.
Also, local pharmacies that are part of the state’s vaccine program, McCook’s, Forest Heights, Medical Center and The Prescription Shop, are contracted to give COVID inoculations to residents and employees of assisted living facilities.
Hadden said the Southeast Health District welcomes the participation of other providers in administering vaccines.
“Eligible individuals in communities where additional COVID-19 vaccine providers are available are encouraged to contact these organizations if they are not able to get an appointment with us in the time frame they would prefer,” she said. “We are grateful that these additional providers are partnering with the Georgia Department of Public Health to assist us in getting those who are eligible vaccinated.”
Currently, anyone 65 and older is eligible to receive a vaccine along with other groups, including health care workers and law enforcement and rescue personnel. But it is unknown when more vaccine will be sent to Bulloch County.
“As our vaccine allocation is decided by the Georgia Department of Public Health at the state level, we are prepared to receive additional deliveries when they make these available to us,” Hadden said.
State vaccine issues
Around Georgia, 485,000 people had received the vaccine as of Tuesday, according to state health officials. That's roughly just under 4 percent of the state's population, using 41 percent of the total vaccine doses that it has received. Some states have administered a first dose to more than 5 percent of their populations, according to federal data. West Virginia said more than 7 percent of its population has received a first injection, and it's used more than 97 percent of the vaccine doses it's received.
Kemp said in a statement Georgia had “a long way to go,” but the latest figures show “encouraging progress” amid a limited supply of vaccine.
Public Health Commissioner Kathleen Toomey told state lawmakers in budget hearings that the state is hoping more doses will become available now that Joe Biden is president, saying supply right now is unpredictable.
“We need additional vaccine – there’s no question about it,” she said. “With a change in administration this week, we’re anticipating additional vaccine in the coming days and weeks.
“At the rate we’re going it’s going to take many, many, many months,” Toomey said. “You really need to do some of these big vaccination sites, and we hope that that will happen soon, with the availability of new vaccine.”
Bulloch COVID cases
Public Safety/Emergency Management Agency Director Ted Wynn said Bulloch reported 27 new cases Wednesday and eight on Tuesday.
Also, the county recorded its 42nd fatality on Wednesday. Wynn said no other information has been released about the victim at this time.
Bulloch now has 4,228 total COVID cases, which have resulted in 42 deaths and 175 local residents being hospitalized since the pandemic began in March.
Georgia recorded 4,937 new cases on Tuesday and 5,772 on Wednesday. The state's total number of confirmed cases is now up to 695,400.
After the death toll in Georgia slowed down with only three deaths reported Sunday and 63 on Monday, the state set another single-day record with 169 deaths on Tuesday, followed by 149 more on Wednesday, pushing the total to 11,411 deaths since March.
Hospitalizations
Wynn said East Georgia Regional Medical Center staff on Wednesday were caring for 25 COVID patients, with 10 patients on ventilators. The hospital has had at least 21 COVID patients in its care since Dec. 21, reaching a peak of 31 patients twice.
After dropping for four straight days, COVID cases across the state of Georgia that require hospitalization increased some from 5,835 hospitalized on Sunday to 5,905 on Tuesday.
Across the United States, cases that require hospitalization continue a decline that began after hitting a peak on Jan. 6 of 132,474 Americans in the hospital with COVID. On Tuesday, hospitalizations had dropped to 123,820 – the seventh consecutive day with a decrease.
National case numbers
According to statistics from the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, as of Wednesday afternoon, 404,898 Americans had died from coronavirus. Also, Johns Hopkins reported the U.S. has had 24,382,311 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic.
Bulloch Schools
The Bulloch County Schools system has reported 21 new cases this week for a total of 364 COVID cases since classes started on Aug. 17.
Local colleges
East Georgia State College reported two new cases on its three campuses on Monday, including one on the Statesboro campus. The college has had a total of 132 cases across its three campuses since Aug. 17.
Ogeechee Technical College reported 10 new cases for the week of Jan. 11-17. The new cases include five students and two employees on the Statesboro campus. Ogeechee Tech has had a total of 53 cases across its campuses since Aug. 17.
Testing sites
The Bulloch County Health Department, 1 W. Altman St. in Statesboro, continues to serve as a COVID-19 testing site, or specimen point of collection. It operates 8 a.m. till 11:30 a.m. on Mondays only. To schedule a free test, call (855) 473-4374 or visit www.sehdph.org/covid-19, where a test can be scheduled online.
COVID-19 testing operated by Mako Medical is available at Luetta Moore Park, 585 Martin Luther King Drive.
Testing schedule: Monday, Wednesday – 8 a.m.-3 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday – 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Friday – 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; second & fourth Saturday of each month – 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
To register, visit https://mako.exchange/splash/GAmakotesting/
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jim Healy may be reached at (912) 489-9402.