Georgia Coastal Health District

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Public health departments in the Coastal Health District are now offering the updated COVID vaccine for the 2025-26 respiratory virus season. Supplies are limited in some locations as vaccine shipments continue to arrive, so call your local health department to confirm availability and schedule an appointment.

The health departments in Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, and McIntosh Counties will offer the Pfizer brand of COVID vaccine which is approved for use in individuals 5 years of age and older.

Vaccination is particularly beneficial for adults age 65 and older and individuals of any age with health conditions that increase their risk of getting very sick from COVID infection. Risk factors include cancer, lung disease, diabetes, heart conditions, overweight and obesity, pregnancy, and more. For a list of potential risk factors for COVID-related complications, visit the website cdc.gov/covid/risk-factors.

No prescription is needed to receive a COVID vaccine. According to the latest CDC guidance, individuals may make their own informed decisions after receiving information about the COVID vaccine.

The cost of COVID vaccination is covered by most health insurance plans, and low-cost vaccination options are available for individuals without health insurance coverage.

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Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

Who is eligible to receive the new COVID vaccine at the health department?

• The health department is offering the 2025-26 vaccine by Pfizer which is approved for use in individuals 5 years of age and older.

What about children younger than 5? Can they get vaccinated?

• The COVID vaccine by Moderna has been approved for use in children from 6 months to 4 years of age but is not available in the health departments of the Coastal Health District. Please check with your pediatrician’s office or local pharmacy to see if they have the Moderna vaccine for young children.

I thought only older individuals or those at high risk could get vaccinated.

• The latest CDC guidance emphasizes that the benefits of vaccination are highest for those people most at risk of severe illness from COVID infection. However, individuals may make their own informed decisions after receiving information about the COVID vaccine.

Who is considered at high risk for COVID-related complications?

• Individuals over age 65 are at highest risk of getting very sick from COVID, and more than 81% of deaths from COVID complications occur in people over age 65.
• Certain health conditions increase a person’s risk of severe illness from COVID at any age, including cancer, lung disease, diabetes, heart conditions, overweight and obesity, pregnancy, and more.
• For a list of potential risk factors for COVID-related complications, visit the website cdc.gov/covid/risk-factors.

Do I need a prescription to get a COVID vaccine?

• No prescription is needed to receive a COVID vaccine. According to the latest CDC guidance, individuals may make their own informed decisions after receiving information about the COVID vaccine.

How much will the COVID vaccine cost at the health department?

• Most health insurance plans will cover the cost of COVID vaccination, including plans through Medicaid and Medicare. The health department also has low-cost vaccination options for individuals without health insurance coverage.

My health department doesn’t have the COVID vaccine I need in stock. What can I do?

• Most communities have several options for COVID vaccination through doctor’s offices and retail pharmacies, particularly for individuals with health insurance coverage.
• Each of our county health departments gets a very limited supply of vaccine we can use for patients without insurance coverage each month. If your county health department does not have low-cost doses available for individuals without insurance, you may want to call around to some of the neighboring counties to see if they have the low-cost vaccine in stock. Click here for contact information for all the county health departments in the Coastal Health District.

Each week during respiratory virus season, the CDC provides information about respiratory illness activity on its Respiratory Illness Data Channel.

Overall respiratory illness activity in Georgia

This is a summary of the total impact of respiratory illnesses, regardless of which diseases are causing people to get sick.

• Low as of 3/28/2025

Trends in Emergency Department Visits for Respiratory Illness in Georgia

The following chart provides a measure of how many people are seeking medical care in emergency departments in Georgia:

Respiratory Illness	Emergency Dept. Visits in Georgia	Trend
COVID-19	Low	Decreasing
Flu	Low	Decreasing
RSV	Low	Decreasing

For more information, visit the website of the CDC.

How To Safeguard Your Health

The most protection against COVID, flu, and RSV is vaccination. The CDC recommends:

• An annual flu shot for everyone aged 6 months and older
• An updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine for everyone aged 6 months and older
• An RSV vaccine for adults aged 60 and older, depending on risk factors

These vaccines are available at your local county health department. Contact a clinic near you to schedule an appointment.

Other ways to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses include:

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw used tissues in the trash. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hands.
• Learn and use proper handwashing technique.
• Teach children the correct way to wash their hands.
• Stay home and away from others when you aren’t feeling well.

Health departments in the Coastal Health District will hold several COVID-19 vaccination incentive events in December to encourage residents to get the updated COVID vaccine. Everyone age 6 months and older who has not already received the updated COVID vaccine is eligible.

All incentive events are by appointment only. Anyone with an appointment who is vaccinated at one of the events will receive a $100 retail gift card. The cost of COVID vaccination is covered by many insurance plans at no cost to the patient. For individuals without health insurance coverage, a federal program will cover the cost of vaccination.

The updated COVID vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna were released in September of this year. The vaccines provide protection against COVID variants that are currently circulating. Even if you have received a previous COVID vaccine or been infected with COVID, existing immunity wanes over time. Receiving an updated COVID vaccination significantly reduces your risk of severe complications and hospitalization from COVID infection.

COVID Vaccination Incentive Events By County

Bryan County

• Schedule is full – no appointments remaining
• December 14
• Vaccine brand: Moderna

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Camden County

• Schedule is full – no appointments remaining
• December 14
• Vaccine brand: Moderna

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Chatham County

• Schedule is full – no appointments remaining
• December 12 & 14, Eisenhower clinic
• Vaccine brand: Pfizer

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Effingham County

• Schedule is full – no appointments remaining
• December 5
• Vaccine brand: Moderna

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Glynn County

• Schedule is full – no appointments remaining
• December 7
• Vaccine brand: Pfizer

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Liberty County

• Schedule is full – no appointments remaining
• December 8
• Vaccine brand: Moderna

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Long County

• Schedule is full – no appointments remaining
• December 21
• Vaccine brand: Moderna

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McIntosh County

• Schedule is full – no appointments remaining
• December 14
• Vaccine brand: Moderna

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An updated COVID vaccine has been authorized by the FDA and approved by the CDC and includes protection against COVID variants that are currently circulating.

COVID vaccination is covered by many insurance plans at no cost to the patient. For individuals without health insurance coverage, a federal program will cover the cost of vaccination.

Vaccine Availability – Updated October 18, 2023

What’s New on 10.18.23– All county health departments in the Coastal Health District now have COVID-19 vaccine available for individuals aged 6 months and older.

COVID-19 Vaccine by Pfizer

Pfizer vaccine is available at the health departments in Chatham and Glynn Counties.

• In Chatham County, the Pfizer vaccine is available by appointment. You can self-schedule online at https://coastalhealthdistrict.as.me/chathameis or by calling 912-356-2441.
• In Glynn County, individuals aged 5 and older can walk in at any time during normal clinic hours to receive their updated Pfizer COVID vaccination. However, the vaccine for children aged 6 months to 4 years old will be only offered on Wednesday afternoons from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and an appointment will be required. You can call the Glynn County Health Department at 912-264-3961 to schedule a COVID vaccination appointment for children aged 6 months to 4 years old.

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COVID-19 Vaccine by Moderna

The health departments in Bryan, Camden, Effingham, Liberty, Long, and McIntosh Counties have the COVID-19 vaccine by Moderna. To receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Bryan, Camden, Effingham, Liberty, Long, or McIntosh Counties:

• Bryan County Health Department – Richmond Hill – call 912-756-2611
• Bryan County Health Department – Pembroke – call 912-653-4331
• Camden County Health Department – St. Marys – call 912-882-8515
• Effingham County Health Department – call 912-754-6484
• Liberty County Health Department – schedule online at https://coastalhealthdistrict.as.me/libertyhd or call 912-876-2173
• Long County Health Department – call 912-545-2107
• McIntosh County Health Department – call 912-832-5509

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its COVID-19 vaccine recommendations to allow for an additional bivalent booster dose for people at highest risk of severe illness. Previously, individuals could only receive one of the updated booster shots.

The additional bivalent booster dose has been authorized for:

• Adults ages 65 years and older, and
• People who are immunocompromised.

The bivalent vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna cover two strains of the virus that causes COVID-19, offering better protection against more recent variants of the virus.

These changes do not apply to individuals between the ages of 6 and 64 who have already received a bivalent booster unless they have immune system concerns.

To schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, go to www.chdcovidvax.org or call your county health department. Individuals may also call with questions regarding eligibility for another COVID-19 booster shot.

For more information on COVID-19 vaccine recommendations by the CDC, please visit Vaccines for COVID-19.

Monday, Jan. 16, our offices and health departments will be closed in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

However, our 2 COVID testing drive-through sites in Chatham and Liberty will be open Monday. We have one site in West Chatham County at 210 Technology Circle and one in Hinesville at James Brown Park. Both sites offer free PCR testing, no appointment required. Get more information about testing.

We’ll be back to normal operations on Tuesday.

Beginning Monday, Dec. 19, young children will have access to stronger protection against COVID-19 in the Coastal Health District. The FDA and CDC have approved the reformulated Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for ages 6 months and older. Previously, the updated vaccines were only available for ages 5 and up.

Appointments for the bivalent vaccines are available in all 8 counties of the Coastal Health District and can be scheduled online at chdcovidvax.org or by calling your local health department directly.

The reformulated vaccines are called “bivalent” because they target more than one variant of COVID. The vaccines target the original strain of the COVID-19 virus plus two omicron subvariants, which means better protection against more recent versions of the virus.

The bivalent vaccine manufactured by Pfizer is authorized as a booster dose for individuals aged 5 and older, and as a third dose for individuals aged 6 months – 4 years. The bivalent vaccine by Moderna is authorized as a booster dose for individuals 6 months of age and older.

For more information about the COVID vaccines offered by the health department in your county, visit chdcovidvax.org. Parents with questions about COVID vaccines for children are encouraged to talk to their child’s pediatrician or to their local health department.

Stronger protection against COVID-19 is available in the Coastal Health District as all 8 county health departments now offer updated booster shots. These reformulated booster vaccines target the original strain of the COVID-19 virus plus the omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. Most new cases reported in Georgia are caused by the BA.5 variant, which means the redesigned booster shots will offer better protection against the currently circulating virus.

“It’s not uncommon for vaccines to be tweaked as viruses mutate,” said Dr. Lawton Davis, Health Director of the Coastal Health District. “You don’t get the same flu shot every fall because the vaccine is redesigned each year to be a better match to the dominant variants. These reformulated COVID boosters follow the same progression, with better protection against the COVID we have now, and not just the COVID of two years ago.”

The redesigned boosters are called “bivalent” because they target more than one variant of COVID. The bivalent booster by Pfizer is authorized for ages 12 and older, and the bivalent booster by Moderna is authorized for ages 18 and up. You can get the booster if it has been at least two months since you completed your initial vaccination, or since your last booster shot.

Only individuals who have completed their primary vaccination series (two doses of Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of Johnson & Johnson) are eligible to receive the bivalent booster. For people getting their first COVID vaccines, the original vaccine will continue to be used. Those who have recently received Novovax are not yet eligible for any booster at this time.

Appointments for COVID-19 vaccination, including bivalent boosters, can be scheduled online at chdcovidvax.org or by calling your local county health department.