Georgia Coastal Health District

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and Governor Brian Kemp announced the state will expand its COVID vaccine eligibility beginning March 25, 2021, to include all Georgians aged 16 and older. Increased COVID vaccine supply and significant progress in vaccinating Georgia seniors, our most vulnerable population, allows the state to move forward and to ensure all vaccine doses are being put into arms.

Vaccination, along with strict compliance with basic prevention measures – wear a mask, stay six feet from others, avoid large gatherings, wash your hands frequently – will help Georgia stop the spread of COVID-19.

These measures are critically important as SARs-CoV-2 variants continue to circulate and increase in Georgia. Currently, there are 367 confirmed COVID cases with variants statewide; 351 cases with the UK variant (B.1.1.7), 15 cases with the South Africa variant (B.1.351), and 1 case with the Brazil variant (P.1). These variants appear to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which may lead to more cases of COVID-19.

Anyone with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 should be tested, regardless of vaccination status or prior infection. Follow the advice of your health care provider about what you should do while you wait for your test results. COVID testing not only helps DPH control and mitigate infection, but it also provides valuable information about variants when positive test results are sequenced.

To schedule a vaccination appointment at a health department in the Coastal Health District, visit chdcovidvax.org. To schedule an appointment at a GEMA mass vaccination site, visit myvaccinegeorgia.com. Or, click here to view information and links for other vaccine providers in our area.

Important note: Pfizer is the only COVID vaccine approved for teens 16 and 17 years old. Please schedule an appointment at the Chatham County Health Department, Glynn County Health Department, CVS or Walgreens or at one of the GEMA mass vaccination sites to ensure Pfizer vaccine is available.

The Brunswick (GA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, the Glynn County Health Department/Coastal Health District, and Southeast Georgia Health System are partnering to present “Real Talk: A Vaccination Conversation” live on Facebook at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 25. The virtual town hall will include physicians and community leaders sharing extensive knowledge and answering questions about the COVID-19 vaccine.

“It is very important that our communities are reassured that receiving the vaccine is safe,” said President of the Brunswick (GA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, Jackie Bryant. “We want to engage the public and improve outreach and communication efforts to the citizens who are most affected by COVID-19.”

Residents will have the opportunity to submit questions during the forum as well as hear from infectious disease specialist, Steven Mosher, M.D., Southeast Georgia Physician Associates – Infectious Disease; Glynn County Health Department outreach and education specialist, Katrina Howard; and behavioral health specialist, Janel Holland, LCSW.

“I am very grateful that we now have several vaccine options to help us battle the Covid-19 pandemic. However, in order to succeed and save additional lives we need those who are eligible to get vaccinated,” said Mosher. “The data from several countries with successful vaccination programs has shown how well the vaccine can stop the spread of disease, decrease hospitalizations, and prevent death. I urge the public to get vaccinated when they become eligible.”

The event will also include testimonials from residents who have already received the COVID-19 vaccine.

“The quickest way to get back to the way things were before COVID-19 is for as many people as possible to get vaccinated,” said Glynn County Health Department outreach and education specialist, Katrina Howard. “It is completely understandable to have questions about the vaccine and we want to help answer those questions and clear up any concerns.”

Go to www.facebook.com/linksbrunswick to join the Vaccination Conversation live on Thursday, March 25th. More information on COVID-19 vaccines can also be found on the Coastal Health District website at covid19.gachd.org.

Atlanta – The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and Governor Brian Kemp today announced the state will expand its vaccine eligibility March 15, 2021, to include adults aged 55 and older, individuals with disabilities and certain medical conditions.

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are already eligible for vaccination. This expansion now includes disabilities caused by an injury (e.g., traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury), a disability due to a longstanding condition that could cause vision loss, nerve damage or loss of a limb, or a disability due to illness such as ALS or multiple sclerosis.

The medical conditions referenced are:

Asthma (moderate to severe)                         Immunocompromised

Cancer                                                            Liver disease

Cerebrovascular disease                               Neurologic conditions

Chronic kidney disease                                  Overweight and obesity

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease       Pregnancy

Cystic Fibrosis                                                Pulmonary fibrosis

Diabetes                                                          Sickle Cell Disease

Hypertension or high blood pressure             Thalassemia (blood disorder)

Heart conditions         

To find a vaccine location near you or to schedule an appointment, log on to https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-vaccine. For individuals aged 16 and 17 who are in an eligible population for vaccination, Pfizer is the only vaccine currently approved for these ages. Please schedule an appointment at CVS or Walgreens or at one of the GEMA mass vaccination sites to ensure Pfizer vaccine is available to you.

For updates on COVID-19, follow @GaDPH and @GovKemp on Twitter and @GaDPH and @GovKemp on Facebook.

The Coastal Health District will hold a COVID-19 vaccination event on Wednesday, March 10th at Howard Coffin Park at 1402 Sonny Miller Way in Brunswick. Appointments will be available after hours to accommodate educators, school staff, childcare workers.

The clinic will be held from 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. by appointment. Appointments can be scheduled online at chdcovidvax.org or by phone at 912-230-5506.

According to the new phase of eligibility that begins in Georgia on March 8th, the following individuals will be eligible for vaccination at this clinic:

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• Educators and school staff in pre-K through 12th grade (public and private school),
• Employees of early childcare facilities,
• Adults with developmental or intellectual disabilities and their caregivers,
• Parents of children with complex medical conditions,
• Healthcare workers,
• Emergency first responders,
• Adults age 65 and older and their caregivers,
• Staff and residents of long-term care facilities, and
• Funeral home workers who come into direct contact with the deceased.

You must be a Georgia resident or employed in Georgia to be vaccinated, but you do not have to reside in Glynn County. The event is open to any qualifying Georgian. If you have health insurance, the policy will be billed, but there is no out-of-pocket cost for vaccination and insurance is not required.

The clinic will utilize Pfizer vaccine, and all who are vaccinated at this event will return in three weeks for the second shot in the two-dose series. Please remember to dress in short sleeves to facilitate vaccination. To avoid crowding at the event, please do not arrive early for your appointment.

Atlanta – The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is launching a new COVID vaccine dashboard on the DPH website https://dph.georgia.gov/. The dashboard provides a detailed, transparent picture of vaccination administration in Georgia.

As part of the transition to the new dashboard, you will see a one-time decrease in the number of vaccines administered. This slight decrease is the result of data cleaning and removal of duplicate vaccination entries, and overall quality control.  

The dashboard will update daily at 3 p.m. and now includes:

• Number of vaccine doses that have been administered in Georgia and reported to the Georgia Registry for Immunization Transactions and Services (GRITS), broken out by first and second doses.
• Number of vaccine doses administered by a Georgia provider per 100,000 residents, broken out by first and second doses.
• Vaccine doses administered by county and by day.
• Race and ethnicity data of vaccine recipients.
• Total number ofvaccine doses that have been shipped to Georgia from the federal government’s allocation for the state.
• The number of Georgia providers that have received vaccines from the federal allocation for Georgia.
• Number of vaccine doses shipped to Georgia providers and the percent of those doses administered.

DPH will regularly review and update features of the dashboard to ensure data quality, accuracy, and transparency.

For updates on COVID-19, follow @GaDPH and @GovKemp on Twitter and @GaDPH and @GovKemp on Facebook.

For information about COVID-19, visit https://dph.georgia.gov/novelcoronavirus or https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.