Georgia Coastal Health District

Follow COVID-19 and Flu Prevention Measures

The COVID vaccine has helped make celebrating upcoming holidays together with family and friends possible again. To keep yourself and your loved ones safe, the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) urges all Georgians to plan ahead and take steps to reduce risk of exposure to COVID-19 and the flu as they celebrate.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend several ways to enjoy holiday traditions while protecting your health. 

• The best protection against COVID and the flu is vaccination, and the vaccines can be administered at the same time. People are considered fully vaccinated for COVID two weeks after their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, or two weeks after the single-dose J&J COVID-19 vaccine. Likewise, it takes about two weeks after getting a flu vaccine for antibodies that protect against flu to develop in the body.
• For young children who aren’t yet eligible for the COVID vaccine, reduce the risk of exposure by making sure the people around them are vaccinated.

• Wear well-fitting masks over your nose and mouth if you are in public indoor settings if you are not fully vaccinated. People who are fully vaccinated should wear a mask in public indoor settings in communities with substantial to high transmission.
• Outdoor activities are safer than indoor activities.
• Avoid crowded, poorly ventilated spaces.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available.
• If you are sick or have symptoms of COVID-19 or the flu, don’t host or attend a gathering.
• Get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have a close contact with someone who has COVID-19.
• If you are not fully vaccinated for COVID and must travel, follow the CDC’s recommendations.
• Everyone, even people who are fully vaccinated for COVID, is required to wear a mask on public transportation and follow international travel recommendations.

Fifty-one percent of Georgians are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 which means every crowd is a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals and the risk of COVID transmission exists, especially the delta variant which is more contagious and can cause more severe illness than other variants. DPH is closely monitoring COVID case increases in Europe and parts of the United States. Additionally, surveillance in Georgia indicates flu activity is increasing in some areas.

Holiday traditions are important for families and children. By working together, we can enjoy safer holidays, travel, and protect our own health as well as the health of our family and friends.

To find a COVID or flu vaccine location in your area, visit vaccinefinder.org.

For more information about safely celebrating this holiday season, log on to https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays/celebrations.html.

Beginning Monday, November 8th, three clinics in the Coastal Health District will offer a pediatric dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 5-11 as recommended by the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Georgia Department of Public Health.

Appointments can be scheduled for the following locations:

• Chatham Co. Health Dept. Annex (former EmployAbility building) – 1249 Eisenhower Dr.
• Chatham Co. Health Dept. main clinic – 1395 Eisenhower Dr.
• Glynn Co. Health Department – 2747 Fourth St., Brunswick

You do not have to be a resident of the county to be vaccinated in each location. Additional pediatric vaccination sites may be offered soon.

There is no out-of-pocket cost for the vaccination regardless of insurance status. Appointments are required and can be scheduled online at chdcovidvax.org. For assistance, you may also call our COVID-19 Vaccination Phone Bank at 912-230-5506 Monday – Thursday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Friday from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

“The availability of pediatric vaccine is an important milestone for children and for the entire community,” says Dr. Lawton Davis, Health Director of the Coastal Health District. “Some children have become seriously ill with COVID-19, particularly with the Delta variant, and some are still experiencing ‘long COVID’ with lingering symptoms. Vaccination is an important protection against severe illness for children as well as adults.”

The pediatric vaccine contains a smaller dose and is given with a smaller needle. The lower dose also seems to produce milder side effects in kids while still creating a strong immune response.

For more information, talk with your child’s pediatrician or visit the website of the CDC.

Health Departments in the Coastal Health District will begin offering booster shots of Moderna and Johnson and Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesday, October 26^th. The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have now recommended booster doses for all three available COVID-19 vaccines in the United States.

Not every health department has every brand of COVID-19 vaccine, so we encourage residents to check our scheduling website, chdcovidvax.org, to see which vaccines are available at each location.

If you need assistance with scheduling, you may call our COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center at 912-230-5506. The call center is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Friday from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Beginning Monday, Sept. 27, the Coastal Health District will offer Pfizer booster shots as recommended by the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Georgia Department of Public Health. Booster doses have been approved for the following individuals who received Pfizer vaccine more than six months ago:

• Individuals aged 65 and older,
• Residents in long-term care settings,
• Individuals aged 18 and older with certain underlying medical conditions, and
• Individuals aged 18 and older who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure because of where they work or live.

Booster shots have not yet been approved for anyone who received Moderna or Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccines. Please note: not every health department has Pfizer vaccine available. The following locations do offer Pfizer vaccine by appointment, and can give booster doses to eligible individuals. Dates and hours vary at each location.

• Chatham Co. Health Dept. Annex (former EmployAbility building) – 1249 Eisenhower Dr.
• West Chatham Site @ Gulfstream – 171 Crossroads Parkway, Savannah
• Savannah Fire Station #3 – 121 East Oglethorpe Ave., Savannah
• Glynn Co. Health Department – 2747 Fourth St., Brunswick
• Effingham Co. Health Department – 802 Hwy. 119 South, Springfield
• Liberty Co. Health Dept. – 1113 East Oglethorpe Hwy., Hinesville

Please visit chdcovidvax.org for more details and to schedule an appointment. For assistance, you may also call our COVID-19 Vaccination Phone Bank at 912-230-5506 Monday – Thursday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Friday from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

The Coastal Health District continues to stress the importance of vaccination for all Georgians aged 12 and older. Vaccination is our best tool to protect lives and stop the spread of COVID-19 in our state.

ATLANTA – The federal government has changed the way COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatments will be distributed in the United States, including Georgia. The decision announced Monday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the result of supply shortages and extraordinary demand for the treatments across the country, particularly due to the rapid spread of the delta variant. Health care providers will no longer be able to order the treatments directly.

HHS will determine each state’s weekly allocation of monoclonal antibody products based on use and the number of new COVID cases. The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) will identify which sites in the state will receive the product and the amount each site receives. Healthcare providers must record their administration of the products in order to be eligible to receive additional shipments.

DPH will work to provide monoclonal antibody treatments quickly and equitably to as many Georgia providers as possible. The Department will also address the backlog of requests previously made to HHS, which DPH was not made aware of until yesterday.

Monoclonal antibodies are synthetic, laboratory-created antibodies. They help people at high risk for severe COVID illness, individuals who have recently tested positive (within 10 days) for the virus, or people who are close contacts of persons who have tested positive for COVID.  They do not teach a patient’s body how to create its own antibodies.

Monoclonal antibody treatments are not a replacement for COVID-19 vaccination.

“We have safe and highly effective vaccines to protect against COVID-19. It is much easier to get a vaccine than risk becoming seriously ill with life threatening complications,” said Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D., M.P.H., commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health. “Monoclonal antibodies are in short supply and high demand and hospital beds are full. What Georgia does have is enough vaccine for all Georgians aged 12 and over to be vaccinated.”

As of today, 53% of Georgians have received at least one dose of COVID vaccine and 46% of Georgians are fully vaccinated. COVID vaccine is available statewide and is our best tool for ending this pandemic and reducing the overwhelming strain on EMS, the healthcare system and healthcare providers. To find a COVID vaccination location, log on to https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-vaccine.

There are currently 136 locations in Georgia where monoclonal antibody treatments are being administered. https://protect-public.hhs.gov/pages/therapeutics-distribution. Patients should talk to their healthcare provider about monoclonal antibody treatments and must have a prescription or physician’s referral to receive the treatments.

ATLANTA – The number of Georgians who have died from COVID-19 now surpasses 20,000. As of 3 p.m. today, there have been 20,041 confirmed COVID deaths in Georgia since the pandemic began.

“It is tragic but not surprising that we have surpassed this grim milestone of 20,000 COVID deaths in our state,” said Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D., M.P.H., Georgia Department of Public Health commissioner. “Ninety seven percent of COVID deaths since we’ve had vaccine are in unvaccinated individuals. These deaths are preventable.”

COVID vaccines are safe and effective at protecting against COVID-19 infections. COVID vaccines also help prevent severe illness and death if an individual does get sick. The vaccines also reduce the risk of people spreading the virus that causes COVID-19.

COVID cases are surging in Georgia, driven by the delta variant. The delta variant is more transmissible than the original SARS-CoV-2 and research shows that it results in a higher rate of severe illness and hospitalization than other variants. COVID-19 is spreading fastest in areas with low vaccination rates. Currently, only 44% of Georgians are fully vaccinated.

All Georgians aged 12 and older are urged to get vaccinated, wear a mask in public settings and wash their hands frequently.

COVID vaccine is available statewide and is our best tool for ending this pandemic and reducing the overwhelming strain on EMS, the healthcare system and healthcare providers. To find a COVID vaccination location, log on to https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-vaccine.

COVID testing is recommended immediately for anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. Additionally, individuals who have had a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should be tested, even if they are fully vaccinated. People who are fully vaccinated should get tested 3-5 days after exposure. Unvaccinated individuals should quarantine and be tested immediately after being identified, and, if negative, tested again in 5–7 days after last exposure. To find testing locations, log on to https://dph.georgia.gov/covidtesting. Please do not go to hospital emergency rooms for COVID testing.