Governor Brian Kemp providing the latest information in Georgia’s battle against COVID-19. While numbers are down from earlier this month, Kemp again warned that hospitals are still not able to support another surge. But he says the state is showing improvement when it comes to vaccine distribution.
"From January 11th to January 18th, we reported over 216,000 vaccinations administered. In the week since, we have reported over a quarter million doses ."
[In addition, providers are improving reporting of vaccinations to state.] Also, CVS and Walgreens have completed their vaccines in 99.5% of Georgia’s skilled nursing facilities. That means 40-thousand additional doses now available to the 1 A plus population.
Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey addressed the unprecedented scope of the problem.
"Just since the pandemic began, we have documented 4,500 total COVID-19 outbreaks. To put that into some perspective, that means about 127 outbreaks per week in the last 12 weeks. In the past years, we normally document abut 127 total outbreaks for all diseases statewide."
Toomey says the CDC now allows the second dose to be given over a wider range, after the first shot, up to four days earlier and as long as six weeks later.