Georgia received its first COVID-19 vaccine doses. When will they arrive in Macon?
Nearly 6,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Georgia on Monday, the first of the long-awaited vaccines to be approved for emergency usage by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Additional doses, earmarked for front-line health care workers, will arrive in other parts of the state later this week, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Shipments were delivered to a pair of public health locations in east Georgia with ultra-cold freezers, used for storage and temperature control of the vaccine. The initial shipment of 5,850 doses will be given to front-line medical workers in two parts, with the second dose administered about three weeks after the first, according to North Central Health District Public Information Officer Michael Hokanson.
“The only vaccine that has been approved for emergency use is the Pfizer vaccine and that one does require two doses,” he said. “The same is going to be true if the [Moderna] one is approved and that is going before the FDA’s advisory committee this week.”
The FDA is expected to approve emergency use of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine; if that happens, shipments of the vaccine should begin arriving in Georgia next week, according to the health department.
“Should another company’s vaccine be approved, that would definitely supplement the existing amount of vaccine that is able to be dispersed out into the community,” Hokanson said. “That is the biggest benefit if a second manufacturer is approved.”
The Pfizer vaccine will likely arrive in Macon later this week, according to a statement from Navicent Health.
“Navicent Health is anticipating the arrival of a limited number of the FDA-approved Pfizer novel coronavirus vaccine,” the statement said. “We anticipate the first shipment will arrive later this week. We will follow federal and state guidance to determine vaccine roll-out priorities and administration.”
Navicent added in the statement that the primary focus will be on front-line workers and the vulnerable populations in long term care facilities.
Middle Georgia Cases
The Georgia Department of Public Health reported 25,127 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Middle Georgia in its 3 p.m. update Monday.
Here are key takeaways:
Cases: 25,127. Bibb County has recorded the most cumulative positive cases with 8,139
Deaths: 802. It’s important to note that these numbers indicate when deaths are reported to the Georgia Department of Public Health. It does not reflect when these deaths occurred.
Hospitalizations: In Region F, which includes Bibb County and much of Middle Georgia, 74.27% of hospital beds were in use, 83.56% of ICU beds were in use and 40.60% of adult ventilators were in use.
Cases per person: Baldwin County has the most cases per 100,000 with 5,982. Bibb is next with 5,349 cases per 100,000 people. Crawford has one of the lowest rates in the state, with 2,216 per 100,000.
The following is a breakdown of cumulative cases and deaths for counties in Middle Georgia.
Bibb 8,139 cases - 229 deaths
Houston 4,880 - 104
Baldwin 2,658- 71
Laurens 2,397- 113
Washington 1,060- 24
Peach 1,034- 29
Monroe 1,039- 59
Jones 841- 23
Dodge 761 - 40
Bleckley 578 - 30
Wilkinson 455 - 18
Pulaski 403 - 25
Macon 329 - 15
Twiggs 282 - 15
Crawford 271 - 7
DPH reported 3,302 new cases across the state and 13 new deaths Monday.