With promise of more COVID-19 vaccine, most Georgians could be vaccinated by summer’s end

ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp said he and his staff are working around the clock and trying their best to bring more doses of the vaccine to Georgia.

The governor made those remarks on the same day that President Joe Biden announced that he and his administration are preparing to purchase an additional 200 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna.

The move could provide enough doses for nearly every American to be vaccinated by the end of the summer.

It’s an ambitious goal, but Biden believes he and his administration can pull this off.

Back here in Georgia, the goal is to set up mass vaccination sites all over the state. But to do that, it will take a total team effort.

“Our seven-day moving average is down to 5,366. That is the lowest point since Jan. 1,” Kemp said at a news conference on Monday morning.

A move in the right direction when it comes to flattening the curve.

The move would increase Georgia’s weekly allotment from 120,000 to nearly 146,000 doses.

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“We are working around the clock to plan for the next phase of the vaccine distribution,” Kemp said. “This includes further expanding the categories for professionals who can administer the vaccine through executive orders to include dentists, pharmacists and EMTs.”

Right now, one of the biggest problems is not only the lack of doses but also the confusion and frustration for Georgians struggling to get a vaccine appointment.

As more and more Georgians become eligible for the vaccine, mass vaccination sites are getting prepared.

In fact, many nurses and doctors are answering the call for help.

“We need more people. That’s all there is to it,” said metro Atlanta anesthesiologist Dr. Michelle Au.

Au is also a state senator for District 48. She said she volunteers at vaccine sites through the medical reserve corps and has noticed a need for more help.

“If we had more volunteers and more staff, we could increase the number of clinical staff available to do the work of vaccinating patients,” Au said.

That’s where companies like Trusted Health, a digital platform that helps place traveling nurses all over the country, come in.

Daniel Weberg is the head of clinical innovation and said they’ve already sent nurses to 20 different hospitals and health systems in Georgia.

The company also just launched a vaccination website that’s working to match nurses with vaccination sites all over the country, including Georgia, in hopes of helping to end the pandemic.

“So you could have a million vials, but if you don’t have people that are able and qualified and legally able to administer the vaccine, they’re going to sit in the freezer,” Weberg said.

During Tuesday’s news conference, Kemp said the state isn’t halfway through vaccinating the 2 million people in phase 1a. However, some good news is the state has administered vaccines to all of Georgia’s nursing homes, so it’s going to be able to redirect about 40,000 vaccines a week back into the general supply.

Personal care homes having hard time getting COVID-19 vaccine for elderly residents Small care homes didn't qualify for Walgreens or CVS to come in and vaccinate residents.

Cox Media Group