Hall County Health Department providing vaccines on Labor Day
News, Press Release August 30, 2021HALL COUNTY – Labor Day weekend will look a little different this year due to an increased need to be vaccinated due to the Delta surge. Hall County Health Department will be working on Labor Day to vaccinate the community.
On Friday, September 3, Governor Kemp is providing paid time off for state employees to receive their COVID-19 vaccines. For this reason, District 2 Public Health Departments will remain open from 8:00 am until 12:00 pm to vaccinate all state employees and the public.
On Monday, September 6, Hall County Health Department will be providing COVID-19 vaccinations and gas gift cards in the amount of fifty dollars for the first 100 Georgia residents, 18 years and older, that wish to receive their vaccine. The health department will be vaccinating from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. They will be closed for lunch from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm.
As Labor Day approaches, it is as important as ever to avoid crowds, wear a mask, wash your hands, and watch your distance. If you have not gotten a COVID-19 vaccine this is the weekend to get vaccinated.
To find more information regarding COVID-19 for your county, please visit phdistrict2.org.
District Two Cases by County
Banks
Cases (last 2 weeks): 137
Cases Per 100k (last 2 weeks): 686
Positive PCR Tests (last 2 weeks): 20.4%
Vaccines Administered: 9, 788
One Dose: 5,452(29% of residents)
Fully: 4,626 (25% of residents
Deaths (Duration of COVID): 44
Overall Hospitalizations (March 2020-Aug 31) : 234
Dawson
Cases (last 2 weeks): 375
Cases (last 2 weeks) Per 100k: 1388
Positive PCR Tests (last 2 weeks): 23.1%
Vaccines Administered: 17,662
One Dose: 9, 596 (39% of residents)
Fully: 8,423 (34% of residents)
Deaths (Duration of COVID): 49
Overall Hospitalizations (March 2020-Aug 31) : 276
Forsyth
Cases (last 2 weeks): 1,918
Cases (last 2 weeks) Per 100k: 760
Positive PCR Tests (last 2 weeks): 17.6%
Vaccines Administered: 236,504
One Dose: 125,601 (55% of residents)
Fully: 113,488 (50% of residents)
Deaths (Duration of COVID): 206
Overall Hospitalizations (March 2020-Aug 30) : 1,096
Franklin
Cases (last 2 weeks): 162
Cases (last 2 weeks) Per 100k: 694
Positive PCR Tests (last 2 weeks): 20.8%
Vaccines Administered: 14,552
One Dose: 8,086 (36% of residents)
Fully: 6,916 (30% of residents)
Deaths (Duration of COVID): 50
Overall Hospitalizations (March 2020-Aug 30) : 190
Habersham
Cases (last 2 weeks): 300
Cases (last 2 weeks) Per 100k: 655
Positive PCR Tests (last 2 weeks): 19.0%
Vaccines Administered: 31,352
One Dose: 17,448 (39% of residents)
Fully: 14,869 (33% of residents)
Deaths (Duration of COVID): 160
Overall Hospitalizations (March 2020-Aug 30) : 528
Hall
Cases (last 2 weeks): 1555
Cases (last 2 weeks) Per 100k: 754
Positive PCR Tests (last 2 weeks): 18.3%
Vaccines Administered: 160,642
One Dose: 87,756 (44% of residents)
Fully: 76,519 (39% of residents)
Deaths (Duration of COVID): 487
Overall Hospitalizations: 2,742
Hart
Cases (last 2 weeks): 126
Cases (last 2 weeks) Per 100k: 483
Positive PCR Tests (last 2 weeks): 18.1%
Vaccines Administered: 17,449
One Dose: 9,502 (37% of residents)
Fully: 8,314 (32% of residents)
Deaths (Duration of COVID): 40
Overall Hospitalizations (March 2020 -August 2021): 142
Lumpkin
Cases (last 2 weeks): 370
Cases (last 2 weeks) Per 100k: 1,095
Positive PCR Tests (last 2 weeks): 18.1%
Vaccines Administered: 20,990
One Dose: 11439 (35% of residents)
Fully: 10,011 (31% of residents)
Deaths (Duration of COVID): 73
Overall Hospitalizations (March 2020 -August 2021): 353
Rabun
Cases (last 2 weeks): 63
Cases (last 2 weeks) Per 100k: 371
Positive PCR Tests (last 2 weeks): 14.9%
Vaccines Administered: 14,613
One Dose: 7,750 (47% of residents)
Fully: 6,906 (41% of residents)
Deaths (Duration of COVID): 45
Overall Hospitalizations (March 2020 -August 2021): 174
Stephens
Cases (last 2 weeks): 253
Cases (last 2 weeks) Per 100k: 961
Positive PCR Tests (last 2 weeks): 27.8%
Vaccines Administered: 18,592
One Dose: 10,099 (39% of residents)
Fully: 8,687 (34% of residents)
Deaths (Duration of COVID): 80
Overall Hospitalizations (March 2020 -August 2021): 280
Towns
Cases (last 2 weeks): 103
Cases (last 2 weeks) Per 100k: 856
Positive PCR Tests (last 2 weeks): 26.2%
Vaccines Administered: 11,159
One Dose: 5,883 (51% of residents)
Fully: 5,343 (46% of residents)
Deaths (Duration of COVID): 52
Overall Hospitalizations (March 2020 -August 2021): 167
Union
Cases (last 2 weeks): 253
Cases (last 2 weeks) Per 100k: 999
Positive PCR Tests (last 2 weeks): 33.6%
Vaccines Administered: 20, 586
One Dose: 11,011 (47% of residents)
Fully: 9,962 (43% of residents)
Deaths (Duration of COVID): 83
Overall Hospitalizations (March 2020 -August 2021): 274
White
Cases (last 2 weeks): 339
Cases (last 2 weeks) Per 100k: 1,067
Positive PCR Tests (last 2 weeks): 24.5%
Vaccines Administered: 19,565
One Dose: 10,640 (36% of residents)
Fully: 9,334 (32% of residents)
Deaths (Duration of COVID): 76
Overall Hospitalizations (March 2020 -August 2021): 343
FDA fully approves Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
News, Press Release August 23, 2021Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. The vaccine also continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals.
“The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. While this and other vaccines have met the FDA’s rigorous, scientific standards for emergency use authorization, as the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. “While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated. Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.”
Since Dec. 11, 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has been available under EUA in individuals 16 years of age and older, and the authorization was expanded to include those 12 through 15 years of age on May 10, 2021. EUAs can be used by the FDA during public health emergencies to provide access to medical products that may be effective in preventing, diagnosing, or treating a disease, provided that the FDA determines that the known and potential benefits of a product, when used to prevent, diagnose, or treat the disease, outweigh the known and potential risks of the product.
FDA-approved vaccines undergo the agency’s standard process for reviewing the quality, safety and effectiveness of medical products. For all vaccines, the FDA evaluates data and information included in the manufacturer’s submission of a biologics license application (BLA). A BLA is a comprehensive document that is submitted to the agency providing very specific requirements. For Comirnaty, the BLA builds on the extensive data and information previously submitted that supported the EUA, such as preclinical and clinical data and information, as well as details of the manufacturing process, vaccine testing results to ensure vaccine quality, and inspections of the sites where the vaccine is made. The agency conducts its own analyses of the information in the BLA to make sure the vaccine is safe and effective and meets the FDA’s standards for approval.
Comirnaty contains messenger RNA (mRNA), a kind of genetic material. The mRNA is used by the body to make a mimic of one of the proteins in the virus that causes COVID-19. The result of a person receiving this vaccine is that their immune system will ultimately react defensively to the virus that causes COVID-19. The mRNA in Comirnaty is only present in the body for a short time and is not incorporated into – nor does it alter – an individual’s genetic material. Comirnaty has the same formulation as the EUA vaccine and is administered as a series of two doses, three weeks apart.
“Our scientific and medical experts conducted an incredibly thorough and thoughtful evaluation of this vaccine. We evaluated scientific data and information included in hundreds of thousands of pages, conducted our own analyses of Comirnaty’s safety and effectiveness, and performed a detailed assessment of the manufacturing processes, including inspections of the manufacturing facilities,” said Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “We have not lost sight that the COVID-19 public health crisis continues in the U.S. and that the public is counting on safe and effective vaccines. The public and medical community can be confident that although we approved this vaccine expeditiously, it was fully in keeping with our existing high standards for vaccines in the U.S.”
FDA Evaluation of Safety and Effectiveness Data for Approval for 16 Years of Age and Older
The first EUA, issued Dec. 11, for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for individuals 16 years of age and older was based on safety and effectiveness data from a randomized, controlled, blinded ongoing clinical trial of thousands of individuals.
To support the FDA’s approval decision today, the FDA reviewed updated data from the clinical trial which supported the EUA and included a longer duration of follow-up in a larger clinical trial population.
Specifically, in the FDA’s review for approval, the agency analyzed effectiveness data from approximately 20,000 vaccine and 20,000 placebo recipients ages 16 and older who did not have evidence of the COVID-19 virus infection within a week of receiving the second dose. The safety of Comirnaty was evaluated in approximately 22,000 people who received the vaccine and 22,000 people who received a placebo 16 years of age and older.
Based on results from the clinical trial, the Pfizer vaccine was 91% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease.
More than half of the clinical trial participants were followed for safety outcomes for at least four months after the second dose. Overall, approximately 12,000 recipients have been followed for at least 6 months.
The most commonly reported side effects by those clinical trial participants who received Comirnaty were pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, chills, and fever. The vaccine is effective in preventing COVID-19 and potentially serious outcomes including hospitalization and death.
Additionally, the FDA conducted a rigorous evaluation of the post-authorization safety surveillance data pertaining to myocarditis and pericarditis following administration of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and has determined that the data demonstrate increased risks, particularly within the seven days following the second dose. The observed risk is higher among males under 40 years of age compared to females and older males. The observed risk is highest in males 12 through 17 years of age. Available data from short-term follow-up suggest that most individuals have had resolution of symptoms. However, some individuals required intensive care support. Information is not yet available about potential long-term health outcomes. The Comirnaty Prescribing Information includes a warning about these risks.
Ongoing Safety Monitoring
The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have monitoring systems in place to ensure that any safety concerns continue to be identified and evaluated in a timely manner. In addition, the FDA is requiring the company to conduct postmarketing studies to further assess the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis following vaccination with Comirnaty. These studies will include an evaluation of long-term outcomes among individuals who develop myocarditis following vaccination with Comirnaty. In addition, although not FDA requirements, the company has committed to additional post-marketing safety studies, including conducting a pregnancy registry study to evaluate pregnancy and infant outcomes after receipt of Comirnaty during pregnancy.
The FDA granted this application Priority Review. The approval was granted to BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH.
Related Information
Kemp Expands COVID-19 Vaccine Access
News, Politics, Press Release, State & National March 3, 2021ATLANTA, Ga. – After weeks of mounting pressure from teachers and other groups, Governor Brian Kemp announced plans to expand Georgia’s access to COVID-19 vaccines.
In a press conference earlier this week at the Capitol, Kemp said that this was one step closer to getting kids back in the classroom.
“Moving forward, we cannot delay full in-person learning any longer,” said Kemp. “Georgians deserve to return to normal as soon as possible, and that will not happen without school doors open to instruction each and every day.”
The Governor’s larger goal is to provide vaccine access to teachers and relieve the tension many Georgia parents feel as they try to navigate virtual learning sites while trying to juggle work life. The pandemic has been especially hard for single-parent households.
“I cannot say thank you enough to our school staff who have persevered through these truly unprecedented times,” said Kemp to reporter on Thursday. “We cannot delay full in-person learning any further. Our children can’t wait until fall. The costs are simply too high.”
Since the school year began, school systems have struggled with implementing a virtual learning system while trying ease concerns for teacher that hesitated to go back in the classroom without a vaccine. Consequently, this lead many teachers to seek out desperate measures, so much so that Georgia’s Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey pleaded to teachers not to cross state lines to get a vaccine.
Thursday’s press conference didn’t stop Kemp from giving access to just educators and school facilities. Starting March 8, parents with intellectual and developmental disabled children or adults with said conditions and their caregivers will now access these vaccines. This new expanded phase will bring the total number of eligible individuals to 3 million Georgians.
So far, healthcare workers have given over 2 million doses, with 751,000 people fully vaccinated across the state.
For more information, visit MyVaccineGeorgia.com
New Location for COVID Vaccine in Pickens
Community, Featured News, Health, News February 2, 2021JASPER, Ga. – Beginning Monday, February 1, the North Georgia Health District (NGHD) announced that it would relocate its COVID-19 vaccine operations to the Pickens County Recreation Department.
“These changes will allow more people to be vaccinated, so that as additional vaccine becomes available, health department staff will be in position to vaccinate larger numbers of people,” says Jennifer King via press release. Interim health director Dr. Zachary Taylor says that this should be another positive step to rapidly and effectively administer the COVID-19 vaccine to even more members of our community.
This relocation does not affect the current Phase 1A that Pickens is mandated to follow. Meaning only healthcare workers (e.g., physicians, nurses, pharmacists, EMS, laboratory staff, environmental services, etc.), those working or living at a long-term care facility, or anyone 65 years and older and their caregivers are eligible for the vaccine.
Nearly 30,000 individuals residing in the NGHD have received the vaccine since the program was initiated on December 18. This figure is in conjunction with a drop of 1,500 current hospitalizations since Georgia’s record high on January 13 according to The COVID Tracking Project. While for some the vaccine was just the answer they were looking for, high demand has people on edge as they realize that appointments to obtain a vaccine are full. NGHD urges residents to regularly check the website or its social media for updates on appointments as they become available. Previous appointments that were made will be honored.
Residence in all but Whitfield County should note that only the Moderna vaccine is available to eligible patients.
The Pickens County Recreation Department is located off 1329 Camp Road in Jasper.
Times of operation will be Monday – Thursday: 8 AM – 12 AM and 1 PM – 3 PM. Friday will only be from 8 AM – 12 AM.