ATLANTA — As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise across Georgia, Grady Memorial Hospital’s chief medical officer told Channel 2′s Matt Johnson that his hospital is on the verge of being at capacity.
That’s why the approval of a vaccine is such welcome news even if distributing it will be no easy task. The work has already begun to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine in Georgia.
“We can’t afford to have a failure,” said John Haber, CEO of Spend Management Experts. “I do believe that the plan will be well-executed and successful.”
Haber’s Atlanta company handles logistics for several companies involved in the distribution. He told Johnson that he’s optimistic but said there are challenges when shipping a vaccine while so many people are shipping Christmas gifts.
“UPS and FedEx are assuring everyone that there’s plenty of capacity to handle both. We’ll see if that’s the case. But those particular two weeks are going to be challenging,” Haber said.
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There’s also the issue of making sure there are enough refrigerated trucks because of the vaccine’s ultra-low temperature requirements.
“It also eliminates a lot of providers from being able to help with the distribution,” Haber said.
Freezers like the one at Southern Regional Hospital are already making room for storage.
Dr. Lisa Eichelberger, with Clayton State University, already volunteered in a vaccine trial and is ready for the public to get access to a vaccine.
“I hope everyone will. That’s the only way we’re going to beat this — for everyone to step up and get the vaccine,” Eichelberger said.
The vaccine is expected to arrive in states across the country at a time of record COVID-19 cases and deaths.
“It’s incredibly discouraging to see these numbers go up as rapidly as they are,” said Dr. Robert Jansen, with Grady Memorial Hospital.
Jansen said news of the vaccine’s imminent approval is helping his staff. Intensive care unit beds at Grady are at 86% capacity in Georgia.
“It’s good news, psychologically. It’s also good news from a disease perspective, but it will give us an opportunity fighting back,” Jansen said.
The first doses of a vaccine are days away, and some say the rise in numbers makes it more important than ever.
“I’m very concerned. I think we need to work on considering this vaccine and staying safe until that time,” said Whitney Godwin, who lives in DeKalb County.
Grady Memorial reported it has already restricted visitors to the hospital. And next week, visitors won’t be allowed there, except for extreme circumstances. It stated this is a move it has to make to keep everyone safe.
It’s a decision it last made in the early part of the pandemic.
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