Georgia's Blundered Vaccine Rollout

Health officials around the world have warned that large portions of the populace will need to be vaccinated if humanity is to achieve herd immunity to the coronavirus and make a substantial return to normalcy. However, it now seems as though some legislators here in Georgia may not have gotten that message, as the peach state comes last in terms of vaccinations as compared to the total population. And while many areas in the Southeastern United States, in general, are having a hard time getting their populations vaccinated, Georgia is a clear loser, with just over 10.5% of its citizens fully protected against COVID-19. In comparison, Florida to the south has that number to well over 12.5%.

However, unlike most of the problems of the last couple of years, the causes of this drastic disparity are relatively simple. Health experts in the state are now saying that the government’s failure to effectively and efficiently open sites for mass vaccination as well as expand eligibility for vaccination as supply increased was somewhat damaging to the state’s ability to vaccinate its populace. Additionally, there remains the issue of some citizens’ hesitation and distrust of the vaccine and the government that oversees its distribution.

Fortunately, millions more Georgia residents were recently made eligible for the vaccine by Governor Brian Kemp, including some older high school students. Yet still, many in the metro Atlanta area remain unable to find an available appointment while most clinics’ schedules in rural Georgia remain wide open, so it is unlikely the expansion of eligibility will do much to increase vaccination rates.