Kemp: Georgia making progress but isn’t where it needs to be with vaccine distribution

ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp says there is hope on the horizon but Georgians must take health precautions as COVID-19 vaccinations continue through the state.

Friday was Georgia’s single worst day for positive cases with more than 10,000 cases reported.

Kemp held a news conference Friday afternoon where he talked about the progress of people in Georgia receiving vaccines.

The governor said the state is making progress but is not where it needs to be as far as getting the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines out to where they need to be.

“I’m pleased with how hard everybody is working, but I’m not happy with where we are,” he said.

[SPECIAL SECTION: Coronavirus Pandemic in Georgia]

Georgia has administered 24.8% of the vaccines delivered to the state by the government. The state is ranked near the bottom compared to other states in distributing those vaccines.

The governor said distributions sites are underreporting their numbers because they’re simply too busy taking care of patients.

“As you can imagine, they’re very busy right now. I’m very sympathetic, but we have to have good reporting to be able, I mean, we know where our numbers are,” he said. “The problem is, we’re underreporting on the website and publications are putting that we’re a lot worse off than we really are.”

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Kemp described the vaccination process as a “heavy logistical lift,” as patients need to be monitored for about 15 minutes after given a dose.

Kemp said he will take the COVID-19 vaccine once he is eligible, and also reiterated the safety of the science behind the vaccine.

“I have complete confidence in the vaccine,” Kemp said.

So far in Georgia, people allowed the vaccine include first responders, health care workers and those over 65 years of age in certain parts of the state.

Phase 1A statewide has to be serviced before the state starts moving onto the next eligible category.

Kemp said the state has the capacity to administer 11,428 doses per day.

“Our team has not and we will not take our eye off the ball. We will continue to work day and night to get this vaccine out and to bring an end to this long battle,” Kemp said.

Study: Pfizer vaccine effective against 16 mutations found in coronavirus variants (NCD)

Cox Media Group