GA Patch Survey: Will You Take The Coronavirus Vaccine?

GEORGIA — As Georgia is preparing to receive shipments of the coronavirus vaccine, including guidelines from the governor on who can administer the shot, Patch wants to know: would you take it?

Last week, Gov. Brian Kemp again extended Georgia's public health state of emergency on Monday until Jan. 8, 2021, and extended current coronavirus restrictions. A new addition to the renewed order includes guidelines for distributing the pending coronavirus vaccine.

The executive order includes changes that allow nurses and pharmacists to administer the pending COVID-19 vaccine, including in a drive-thru setting, and permits any nurse or pharmacist to observe patients for the requisite 15-minute window after receiving the vaccine. The executive order runs through 11:59 p.m. Dec. 15, unless extended.

Georgia released its COVID-19 Vaccination Plan last month, and included a phased approach to distribution.

"The main goal throughout this response will be to ensure vaccine distribution and administration processes are in place to begin rapid vaccine administration to Georgia residents once vaccines become available," the plan states. "Current assumptions include a possible imbalance between vaccine demand and supply. To address this, provider sites and vaccine shipments will be prioritized according to the populations those providers serve and the key populations who have been prioritized for the vaccination effort. Critical populations will be prioritized using a four-phased approach based on their level of risk for exposure to or complications from the disease."

Several states are expected to receive doses of the Pfizer vaccine, as well as another one by Moderna, this month. The Pfizer vaccine was approved by the U.K. Wednesday, making it the first western country to start using it.

Widespread skepticism about the speed that the vaccine was rolled out and about its safety has been a common topic of discussion among officials. Questions have also been raised about the role of politics in its development, with the vaccine becoming a hot topic during the presidential campaigns.

But experts predict that it could bring about up to 80 percent immunity to the virus by next summer.

Georgia reported 5,023 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday, the biggest single-day total since the pandemic began. The previous high was 4,782, recorded on July 24 during the summer surge.

What do you think? Take part in Patch's survey: