ALBANY, Ga. (AP) – At an early stage in the pandemic, Albany, Georgia, surpassed all cities in the United States except for coronavirus infections per capita. The city in southern Georgia is home to one of four state-sponsored mass vaccination sites.
Many people in Albany were affected by coronavirus early on, but the city has made great strides since the tragedies in March. Thousands of people could receive vaccinations in Albany’s Dougherty County from Monday, February 22, when the state’s four sites open.
Christopher Cohilas, chairman of the board of commissioners in Dougherty County, said Albany started early to prepare the city to take the lead in the next stages of the virus. In the early spring, while other areas had just begun to identify initial cases, Albany was in full swing with a full panel of containment and treatment efforts.
‘We had to sharpen our swords much faster, and much sharper than many other people did. And so you sometimes build really strong partnerships through hardship, ”he said.
He believes this is part of the reason why Albany was chosen as one of the initial sites for mass vaccination.
“One, we work harder than anyone else. Two, we’ve been through more than anyone else. “Three, we have made a very conscientious effort to work with the Governors’ Office and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency,” Cohilas said.
INENTING GEORGIA
Albany’s Mass Vaccination Center is located in a large gravel site at the Albany Georgia Forestry Commission, 1150 West Oakridge Drive. Friday was a spate of activity as members of the National Guard, GEMA responders and medical staff prepared for Monday. Once the site is open, about 70 workers from different partner organizations will be on site every day.
“It’s really a big deal for us here in Dougherty County,” Cohilas said.
The place where the vaccination takes place looks like a toll plaza has been placed in a barn. Four lanes snake through a green warehouse and each can fit four cars into the building, meaning the premises can vaccinate a maximum of 16 people at a time.
The state projects 1,100 vaccinations per site, per day, for a total of 22,000 vaccinations per week. The whole process is 100% FEMA reimbursed, according to a fact sheet distributed during a media tour on Friday.
The other three sites are located in the counties of Bibb, Habersham and Fulton. The state is expected to open additional mass vaccination sites in the coming weeks and months, government Brian Kemp said during a Thursday press conference.
The registration process for the mass vaccination sites is mainly handled by myvaccinegeorgia.com. The site is designed to be easy to use and mobile friendly, an improvement over previous registration interfaces.
Eligible patients fill out a form online and then receive an email with instructions for scheduling an appointment. Patients bring a QR code and a valid ID to the website, go in, get the vaccine and then move to the observation lane for 15 minutes. There is no cost and insurance is not required. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, ASL interpreters will assist on site.
Workers at the vaccination centers will use tablets to examine patients, record vaccinations and schedule appointments for second doses on site.
For patients who are not technologically proficient, there is a telephone number associated with each mass vaccination site where staff will guide patients through the registration process.
The Albany website also tries to register as many patients as possible for their second dose before leaving their first appointment, said Lisa Rodriguez-Presley, supervisor for GEMA / HS for external affairs.
TACKLE OF FAXING ATTITUDE
Dr. Dianna Grant is the Chief Medical Officer for Phoebe Putney Health System, headquartered in Albany. She was thrown into Albany’s pandemic on October 26 and has served only 116 days in her role so far. She remembers seeing Albany’s early high on the news while living in Chicago in March. Now she serves as torchbearer to organize the administration of vaccines and to address hesitation against vaccines.
Albany spotted the post-winter holiday in cases that saw much of America.
‘And with the large number of broadcasts we faced, we did not quite reach March or April (numbers). But we were so close. And we did predictive modeling for that and they were really scared that we would even surpass it from what we saw in March, ”Grant said.
Now, in February, 56-59% of Phoebe’s Albany patients are COVID-19 positive. About 40% come from Dougherty County and the rest are from neighboring counties, or have been transferred from further afield.
Although rates have been declining since the January peak, the social determinant, rather than logistics, is still the main obstacle to widespread vaccination in southwest Georgia.
Despite the early appearance of the virus in Albany, many residents view the vaccine with skepticism rather than hope. The majority of locals approached by a Ledger-Enquirer reporter were either unwilling to discuss COVID or anonymously said they would not get the vaccine.
When doses first arrived at Phoebe Putney on Dec. 17, Grant thought employees would be queuing up to roll up their sleeves to get the vaccine. She soon realized that there was widespread mistrust in the vaccine, especially among black Albanians – and with good reason, she said.
“They feel that mistrust, a historical mistrust,” Grant said. “Because of the mere fact – and they will tell you -” you are now coming to my community when you want to give me something, and you are not here yet. So why should I trust you, you do not want to be here every day? ”
For Wendy Johnson, a resident of Albany, she saw too much death to pass on the vaccine. Santayana Harris, Johnson’s associate of the Marine Corps Logistics Command, died of complications due to a COVID-19 infection alone in her home in Albany.
‘Very smart, very pretty young lady. “She was a bird that sang,” Johnson said. ‘And it hurt her very much, it affected her mother and her father too, but she lost her life. She was only 34 years old. ”
‘Grant, a black doctor, decided to tackle vaccine hesitation by posting photos of herself with the vaccine’s smile – without getting a third eye,’ she said. Grant then launched a campaign to get different local leaders to do the same. About 18 doctors in the phase 1A + group showed up and rolled up their sleeves. It was a first step in building trust and respect among residents who are skeptical about the vaccine.
Grant knew, however, that the best way to reach Albany’s color community was through his religious communities. She started talking weekly about the vaccine at local religious meetings. She welcomes any hint of hesitation or skepticism.
“We know that the cycle of trust in all of us is about listening. … So we entered communities. They send me out to different meetings, ”Grant said. ‘And I’m not giving any speeches. I no longer give chips. I simply say that I am here to ask questions to myself. ‘
LOOK FORWARD
Albany has also identified access and transportation as barriers to vaccine distribution in southern Georgia.
When community health leaders realized that people paying their phone bills per minute were unlikely to wait long, Grant said they had arranged a weekend vaccination at a community center. They chose a site in a neighborhood with limited transportation so residents could walk – and many did. One elderly man was walking on a cane and had to sit for a while before receiving the vaccine.
“The stories they told me were, ‘Thank you for being here. ‘I saw so many people who passed,’ ‘Grant said.
Johnson said she had some doubts about the vaccine because of the reactions she had earlier to the flu shot. When she sees that her vaccinated family members have no side effects, she decides that she will take her chances. She knows vaccination is a priority.
Although she and her fiancé plan to get the vaccine, she knows that many in her community will not. In addition, Johnson expects the country as a whole to handle the coronavirus for years to come.
Grant expects to release COVID-19 booster shots each year.
“You know, it can become an annual flu. “I have to be honest, I do not know,” Grant said. We also saw it with H1N1. ‘
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