GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — As the state expands eligibility to include another 1 million people able to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp continued his statewide tour visiting vaccination sites Monday.
Kemp visited the state-operated mass vaccination site in Clarkesville and a Gwinnett County vaccination site administering shots to educators and school staff. The Gwinnett County site is at the old Sears building at the now mostly-unoccupied Gwinnett Place Mall in Duluth.
"Gwinnett County has been a great partner with the health department at this site," he said.
Kemp said during his walk-through, he was impressed in what the team has been able to accomplish. He said school nurses have been working in conjunction with the others that have been there for the last several weeks to help with the expanded criteria.
March 8 is when teachers and staff at K-12 schools, as well adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers, and parents of children with complex medical conditions who are at high risk for COVID complications became eligible to receive the vaccine.
"We're so excited to be vaccinating teachers," Kemp said at the Gwinnett vaccination site. "Six hundred of them just at this one site. This is a great for our state in the fight against the invisible virus."
The state currently has mass-vaccination sites in Fulton County (Delta Air Lines Museum), Bibb County (Macon Farmers Market), Dougherty County (Albany Georgia Forestry Commission Site) and Habersham County (Fairgrounds).
They will open five additional state-run sites on March 17 in Chatham County (Gulfstream Aerospace), Ware County (Waycross Mall), Washington County (Sandersville World of Life Church), Bartow County (LakePoint Sports Complex) and Muscogee County (Columbus Civic Center).
"We are working on those currently to be ready for that supply," the governor said.
Kemp said last week that 83,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines set to arrive today would be prioritized for educators.
Appointments are required to get a vaccine, and although you may not be eligible yet, you can preregister at MyVaccineGeorgia.com and you will be notified when it is your turn.