Fulton commissioner one of few Georgians at White House COVID-19 vaccine summit

ATLANTA — As metro Atlantans eagerly await access to a COVID-19 vaccine, a top county official is sharing what she learned at a White House briefing on the vaccine.

A U.S. government advisory panel endorsed widespread use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine Thursday.

Shots could begin within days, depending on how quickly the Food and Drug Administration signs off, as expected, on the expert committee’s recommendation.

Fulton County Commissioner Liz Hausmann was one of two Georgians invited to the “Operation Warp Speed” summit Tuesday at the White House, attended by Vice President Mike Pence, Dr. Deborah Birx and other top administration officials.

“We will be a big distribution center, of course, of the vaccine,” Hausmann told Channel 2′s Mike Petchenik. “We’ve done more testing. Over 25% of the testing that has happened throughout the state has been done in Fulton County.”

Hausmann said she was most impressed by the public-private partnership in place to invent, manufacture and ultimately distribute hundreds of millions of doses.

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“It’s not a top down type of distribution. The federal government’s not dictating who gets it, how they get it or where they get it.” she said. “The states have developed their own plans and are utilizing UPS, FedEx, McKesson, CVS, Walgreens; it’s a huge, huge operation to get this thing distributed.”

Hausmann said she learned doses could ship within 24 hours of the authorization.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said earlier this week front line health care workers and long-term care residents will be among the first to receive the vaccine.

“But I think in the next few months, there will be more and more opportunity for the average citizen to access it,” said Hausmann.

She said the message from top officials was that the vaccine is safe and effective and people shouldn’t be fearful.

“I feel like this is as safe as it possibly could be. But everybody’s different. Every human being is different. You never know how someone might react to something,” said Hausmann. “I think we’re on a path to maybe see the light at the end of this very, very dark tunnel we’ve been in.”

News of the possible authorization is sitting well with some, such as Katherine Ramp, a high school teacher who recently left Roswell for a job in South Carolina.

“I definitely want to get it as soon as possible to keep myself safe since no one else is looking out for us,” she told Petchenik. “Where they want us what they need … I think we should be second … we’ve been deemed essential workers.”

Stockbridge mother Kieron Anderson told Petchenik she and her family members are immunocompromised.

“It’s important for me to get it because the Black community was so affected by COVID,” she said. “So I think I’m healthy enough to where if there are any side effects, that I can work my way through it, so that they can help the science to catch up with what we need.”

Piedmont Health doctor talks about taking part in Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine trial She said she joined the trial because she wanted to help.

Cox Media Group