Georgia updates vaccine eligibility: a step towards normal
Written by Ashley Wehrs, Photos courtesy of BreAnna Romero
On May 25, Georgia’s COVID-19 vaccine eligibility requirements updated to allow anyone 16 years or older to get a vaccine. As a SCAD student who has been studying from Seattle, for the past year, this announcement was and continues to be extremely exciting.
Not only are vaccination numbers increasing across Georgia, but knowing that specifically SCAD students, staff and other Savannah residents are getting vaccinated gets us one step closer to returning to a safe fall quarter.
With the updated eligibility guidelines, vaccines have become extremely accessible to the SCAD population.
You can “Find a Covid Vaccination Site” through the Georgia Department of Public Health’s location finder. The location finder includes six sites in Chatham County and more than 350 sites across the state.
BreAnna Romero, a second-year film and television student, and Kiera Finnegan, a second-year illustration student, were vaccinated at the temporary Gulfstream Mass Vaccination Site in Savannah. “[It was] super quick and easy,” Romero said.
As a mass vaccination site, Gulfstream is one of few locations to not require an appointment, but they do recommend and request individuals to pre-register if possible.
Finnegan, who grew up in Washington, but was born outside of the United States, says she gave them the address of her local residence and had no issues not having a Georgia. I.D.
“At one point we had to wait for them to get some more vaccines and during that waiting period we were sort of just jamming with the nurses,” Finnegan said. “We were just singing and dancing with them, in the car safely.”
If you plan to get vaccinated at a county health department site, you can register for an appointment through the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH)’s appointment schedule website.
If you’re looking for a last-minute appointment, an end-of-day doses waitlist is available to all, regardless of current vaccine eligibility criteria. Having your name on a waitlist will not ensure a vaccination but does place your name on a list until called.
Regardless of your health insurance status, the vaccine remains free to all.
With or without a vaccination, the CDC encourages individuals to continue to wear their masks and socially distance at least six feet when in public and with unvaccinated people. The CDC confirmed that the COVID-19 vaccines are proven to be an effective form of COVID-19 prevention, but the evolution of COVID-19 variants make it important that we continue to take preventative steps against the spread.
