ATLANTA — As vaccination eligibility expands in Georgia, questions are being raised about ineligible patients jumping the line - and whether health departments can do anything about it.
On Monday, adults with disabilities and their caregivers, educators, and parents of children with complex medical conditions all became eligible to get the vaccine. That's in addition to those already eligible for the vaccine under the state's 1A+ phase.
Despite the criteria laid out by the state, there are still some reports of ineligible people who found ways to get access to the vaccine.
This leads to an important question. Are there ways that health departments can regulate and verify people for eligibility?
11Alive asked the Georgia Department of Public Health, and a spokesperson said it boils down to not being able to play "vaccine police."
“While DPH does ask screening questions on vaccine registration sites, we do not ask individuals to provide verification that they are eligible for vaccination," DPH said. "DPH does not have time to be 'vaccine police' and still vaccinate the thousands of people presenting for vaccination."
DPH said there is still not enough vaccine for everyone right now, so it prioritizes vaccination based on risk of transmission, exposure and serious complications of COVID-19.
"Providers must depend on the honesty and integrity of people who are presenting for vaccination,” it said.
While the screening measures may vary from county to county, 11Alive reached out to individual counties on how their verification process works.
Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Departments
The Gwinnett, Newton & Rockdale County Health Departments said the three counties ask questions at intake to verify eligibility. They said it will not intentionally vaccinate anyone who is ineligibility at this time, however they "cannot prevent people from answering the exclusion questions inaccurately or untruthfully."
"As the phases continue to open up, it will be difficult to screen for everything," the health departments said. "We ask for the public to continue to be patient for vaccines to become more available so we can vaccinate the most vulnerable first."
Cobb and Douglas Public Health Departments
The Cobb and Douglas Public Health Departments said patients are asked to answer questions about eligibility when they request appointments, and they do screen each person to make sure they meet the criteria.
"All those who come to get vaccinated are asked to produce some form of identification for proof of eligibility,” they said
DeKalb County Board of Health
The DeKalb County Board of Health said that its monitoring process is now handled by the Georgia Department of Public Health. The appointment booking process is also being handled through the state’s system.
As eligibility continues to expand in the state of Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp said the goal is to give access to every Georgian, with mass vaccination sites now helping to meet that demand.