The Northeast Health District on Tuesday opened a schedule-based COVID-19 vaccination and testing program at 355 Oneta Street in Athens, according to a statement from the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Georgia has begun offering COVID-19 vaccines to people 65 and older and to the first responders. The vaccine has already been made available to health workers and residents of long-term care facilities.
The new drive-thru vaccination site has been opened to keep up with demand, according to the statement. While previously there were drive-thru test sites on Mitchell Bridge Road in Athens and the Winterville Center for Community and Culture, both were closed.
Those eligible must make an appointment online or by phone. Priority is given to people living or working in the Northeast Health District – which includes Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Greene, Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe and Walton counties. Vaccines and testing are free on site.
The two available vaccines, from Moderna and Pfizer, demonstrated similar potential side effects, including temporary arm pain, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pain, and fever. The vaccines will be given in two doses a few weeks apart and have been 94-95% effective in clinical trials.
Despite the vaccine’s availability, Dr. Stephen Goggans, the district’s health director, warned in a statement that supply is limited and urged people to continue wearing masks in public and to practice social distancing even when the vaccine is released.
Correction: The name of Dr. Stephen Goggans was misspelled in an earlier version of this article. Red & Black regrets this error and has since fixed it.