Coronavirus Vaccinations For GA Teachers Begin March 8

ATLANTA — Saying that “virtual learning is leaving too many children behind,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced Thursday that public- and private-school teachers and faculty from kindergarten through 12th grade will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations starting March 8.

Vaccinations also will be opened to adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their caregivers, as well as the parents of children with complex medical conditions.

“Virtual learning is leaving too many children behind, and parents are literally at wit’s end,” Kemp said from the Georgia Capitol. “They are also exhausted. We must have every student back in the classroom, five days a week, statewide.”

Kemp thanked the “vast majority of hard-working Georgians” who’d continued to teach since last fall, putting “the interests of their children and students first.” He also said that as a “local-control governor,” he respected districts’ decisions to teach in whatever way — in-person, hybrid or online only — they thought best.

But, he added, full-in person learning could no longer be delayed.

“Georgians deserve to return to normal as soon as possible,” Kemp said, “and that will not happen without school house doors open for face-to-face instruction each and every day.”

Before announcing expanded vaccination criteria, Kemp pointed to fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations — only 13 percent of beds occupied as of Thursday — and what he called the state’s “air-traffic controller” management of hospital capacity as evidence of progress.

“While the media was quick to write about increased hospitalizations, the success of the state’s hospital-bed capacity plan to combat COVID-19 will not make the headlines,” Kemp said. “And that’s because this plan worked.”

Kemp praised Georgia public health head Dr. Kathleen Toomey and health-care workers statewide for administering a “staggering” 7.1 million PCR tests and more than 1.3 million antigen tests so far.

Kemp also listed these Georgia vaccination statistics:

• Nearly 1.9 million vaccines have been given to nearly 1.2 million Georgians.
• “Well over half” of the 2 million Georgians currently eligible for vaccinations have received them. Factoring in delayed vaccine shipments because of last week’s weather, about 81 percent of vaccine received so far has been administered.
• About 34,000 veterans in Georgia have been vaccinated.
• At least one dose has been given to 800,000 Georgia seniors. That age group makes up about 77 percent of all Georgia deaths because of COVID.

Since mid-January, Georgia has received a 70 percent increase in vaccine doses. Kemp said he was confident Georgia would continue to see “steady increases in allotment” over the next few weeks.

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