East GA Teachers Skipped COVID-19 Vaccine Line

ATLANTA — Georgia’s health agency has suspended a medical provider from administering COVID-19 vaccinations after it allowed teachers to jump the line.

The Medical Center of Elberton will be suspended from the state Department of Public Health’s coronavirus vaccine program for six months for inoculating Elbert County School District teachers who are not included in Georgia’s Phase 1A+ eligibility group, state officials said.

Health department officials learned about the infraction on Tuesday, spokeswoman Nancy Nydam said in an email.

“Following an investigation and a verification of vaccine administration through GRITS (Georgia Registry of Immunization Transactions and Services), the information received by DPH was deemed factual,” Nydam said.

As part of the suspension, she said the facility isn’t allowed to receive any further vaccine shipments but may use the remaining inventory to administer second doses as needed. The suspension will end July 27, Nydam said.

This comes as some school district leaders are pushing back on the state’s eligibility list for the first round of vaccines, insisting that educators be included. Meanwhile, officials with the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have suggested that schools are safe environments if appropriate social distancing and masking are practiced.

Education workers — with the exception of those age 65 and older — are not eligible for the first phase of the vaccine rollout. In addition to seniors and their caregivers, Georgia’s first phase of vaccines is open to health care workers and first responders.

It’s unclear how the district of about 500 employees in east Georgia got access to the doses, but about 40 percent of the district staff was vaccinated in early January.

“The vaccination for teachers, bus drivers, school nutrition workers … they should be considered in the first group in my opinion,” Elbert County School District Superintendent Jon Jarvis told 11Alive News.

Nydam said applying sanctions like this is important to ensure that the process is fair and effective.

“It is critical that DPH maintains the highest standards for vaccine accountability to ensure all federal and state requirements are adhered to by all parties, and vaccine is administered efficiently and equitably,” she said.