YIR: Kemp: Georgia Vaccine Priorities on Target
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YIR: Kemp: Georgia Vaccine Priorities on Target

MARCH 2021: The governor defends the state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan while Georgians use social media to help each other find appointments.

By Dave Schechter December 22, 2021, 2:21 pm Edit

Dave Schechter is a veteran journalist whose career includes writing and producing reports from Israel and elsewhere in the Middle East.

“I believe that we have done more than most any state to protect those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19,” Gov. Brian Kemp said March 3.
“I believe that we have done more than most any state to protect those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19,” Gov. Brian Kemp said March 3.

In March 2021, one year after the first COVID-19 cases were identified in Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp defended his handling of the pandemic.

Kemp rejected criticism about Georgia’s poor ranking among the states in the percentage of its adult population vaccinated. “I think we’re doing very well for whom we’re targeting,” he said during a March 3 briefing. Kemp touted how, at the time, at least one dose of vaccine had been administered to nearly 60 percent of Georgians aged 65 and older.

As of March, Georgia had recorded more than 823,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 56,000 hospitalizations, and more than 15,300 deaths with a confirmed link to the virus.

The state initially approved vaccinations for frontline medical personnel and first responders, then added adults 65 and older. Next came teachers and staff in public and private K-12 schools as well as in pre-K programs and day care centers, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers, and parents of children with complex medical conditions. In mid-March the eligibility age was lowered to 55-years-old and added those with “high-risk” conditions as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Limited vaccine supplies sent Georgians scrambling. As of March 5, more than 11,000 people had gone to a crowd-sourced Facebook page that provided tips on where appointments are available.

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