Here's The Estimated COVID-19 Vaccine Wait Time In Cherokee

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — With the United Kingdom approving a COVID-19 vaccine for use this week and the Peach State preparing for a rollout, the New York Times, the Surgo Foundation and Ariadne Labs have come up with a way to calculate the number of people who will need a vaccine in each state and county — and where Cherokee County residents might fit in that line.

For example, an average 40-year-old Cherokee County resident with no professional or health-related special circumstances would be in line behind 268.7 million people across the United States, according to the study.

In Georgia, the projection would be behind 8.6 million others who are at higher risk, in a state with a population of more than 10 million. In Cherokee County, 183,600 would be ahead of you in a county with approximately 258,000 residents.

But those caveats make a difference.

The same person with higher risk health conditions will have a shortened line, behind around 702,500 in Georgia and 10,600 in Cherokee County. A healthy first responder would be at 557,100 on the line on the state level and 9,700 in Cherokee County.

You can input your specific information on the Times website.

Vaccine Rollout

No matter what place in line you end up in, Georgia is preparing to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine.

Earlier this 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 set a one-day record Friday when it reported 5,023 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19, marking the first time since the pandemic began that the daily total exceeded 5,000. The previous record, set on July 24 at the peak of the summer surge, was 4,782.

See more: Coronavirus Vaccine Guidelines Issued By Gov. Kemp

Russ Crespolini, Patch Staff, contributed