Georgia medical center halted vaccination program after school district staff vaccinated

by

The Georgia Department of Public Health was notified on Tuesday that the Elberton Medical Center had vaccinated Elbert County School District employees who were outside the Phase 1A + category of people eligible for the vaccine. After an investigation, the DPH confirmed the information and suspended the medical center, said a release from the department.

CNN has contacted Elberton Medical Center for comment.

Covid-19 cases are lower, but 80,000 more Americans could die from the virus in the next three weeks

Jon Jarvis, Superintendent of the Elbert County School, said many of the district’s more than 500 employees were eager to receive the vaccine.

“It’s hard to wear a mask when you’re trying to teach students sounds,” Chief Inspector Jarvis told CNN subsidiary WXIA. “The vaccination for teachers, bus drivers, school feeders … those should be considered in the first group in my opinion.”
According to the Georgia DPH, Georgia is currently administering vaccines to people in the 1A + group, including health professionals, long-term care personnel and residents, adults over the age of 65 and their caregivers, as well as first responders.

During the suspension, the nationwide medical center will not be eligible to receive shipments of Covid-19 vaccines, although it may use the remaining vaccine stockpile to administer the second dose to patients “as appropriate,” DPH said.

“It is critical that DPH maintains the highest standards of vaccine accountability to ensure that all federal and state requirements are adhered to by all parties, and that the vaccine is administered efficiently and fairly,” said the DPH.

As variants threaten a new wave and schools hope to safely send students into the classroom full-time, officials and residents have been asking for more vaccine doses. But health experts across the country say the vaccine has been slow to spread and it will take months longer for all Americans to be vaccinated.

CNN’s Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.

.Source