ATLANTA — One year ago, the first shipments of the COVID vaccine arrived in Georgia.
At that time, the Federal Drug Administration approved authorization for the Pfizer vaccine in adults across Georgia. About 6,000 doses were administered after the first allotment of the vaccine arrived.
Twelve months later, more than 6 million Georgians have received at least one dose of the vaccine, nearly 5.5 million Georgians are fully vaccinated, and 1.2 Georgians have received a booster shot, according to the Department of Public Health.
“Countless lives have been saved thanks to the COVID vaccine,” Georgia Department of Public Health commissioner Kathleen Toomey said. “A year ago, the vaccine couldn’t come soon enough– it gave us hope and a path out of the pandemic. People were anxious and lining up to get their shot.”
The DPH said in a release that it's grateful for all public health and healthcare providers who have been continuously administering the vaccine this past year and continue to work to get more Georgians vaccinated.
“Our COVID vaccines are safe and effective and can prevent severe illness and death from COVID,” Toomey said. “If you are someone who wanted to ‘wait and see’ about the vaccine, please don’t wait any longer. As long as people are not vaccinated, COVID will continue to spread, and variants will continue to emerge.”
As of Monday, Dec. 13, 39% of eligible Georgians still have yet to get vaccinated, according to the DPH. Meanwhile, 52% of Georgians are fully vaccinated– 25% of those fully vaccinated have received a booster shot.
According to the DPH, the delta variant is responsible for more than 99% of new COVID cases in Georgia – primarily among those unvaccinated. So far, there have only been five reported cases of the omicron variant in Georgia, which the DPH said is expected to increase. Scientists are still researching omicron to determine the severity of the illness and how vaccines are holding up against it.
All Georgians five years old and older are eligible for the vaccine. Booster doses are also recommended for adults 18 and older, who have completed their primary series of Pfizer or Moderna and at least six months have passed. For those who have received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, only two months must have passed to be eligible for a booster shot. On Monday, Georgia also expanded its eligibility for teens 16 and 17 years old to receive a booster shot.