HAPEVILLE, Ga. — People are already lining up and trying to make plans as Georgia plans on opening four new mass vaccination sites across the state this coming week.
[SPECIAL SECTION: COVID-19 Vaccine in Georgia]
With a signup website in place and locations in Bibb, Dougherty, Fulton and Habersham counties, the state is hoping to ramp up the pace of vaccinations for residents.
Channel 2 Action News reporter Audrey Washington spoke with an Atlanta man who survived a battle with COVID-19 and is eager to get vaccinated.
Jarvis Wilson told Washington he plans to be at the vaccine location at the Delta Air Museum in Hapeville this coming week. Wilson says he’s had a tough time trying to schedule an appointment. He says he’ll keep trying until he is in line and gets his shot.
“If I can go down there and get some kind of answer, I just need to know something, then okay. I just need to know something. I’m just gonna try, who knows I’m just gonna try. I can understand when I look at the news and people are frustrated because they want to get it and can’t get it,” said Wilson.
[LINK: Where to find the COVID-19 vaccine in Georgia]
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health’s new interactive dashboard, over 1.7 million shots have been give so far. The number includes both first and second doses.
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This past week, Channel 2 Investigative reporter Mark Winne was the first reporter to get a tour of the Hapeville facility. Winne spoke to GEMA Director Chris Stallings who says the mass vaccination plan is aggressive and he believes it will be successful.
“Our goal is 1,100 vaccines per site per day, so 4,400 vaccines per day at these sites. Our goal is 1,100 vaccines per site per day, so 4,400 vaccines per day at these sites,” said Stallings.
GEMA anticipates by week three, they’ll be able to begin second doses. It means cranking out an estimated 8,800 vaccines per day at the state sites.
“By the time you enter a line ‘til your sitting in a parking lot to leave is hopefully less than six minutes,” said Stallings.
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