Last week Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced that beginning March 8, the eligibility for Georgians to receive a COVID-19 vaccine will be expanded. This expansion will include workforce in licensed or exempt childcare programs, Pre-K, and K-12 education; adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers; and parents of children with complex medical conditions.
South Georgia Medical Center currently offers vaccinations at three campuses in Valdosta, Nashville and Lakeland, Georgia and has appointments available at this time for qualified individuals.
Recognizing that teachers and their support staff are at work during the current available vaccination times, SGMC will host a special Saturday event on March 13, from 8am to 5pm, to provide a convenient option for educators to receive their vaccine. The event will be held at SGMC’s main campus drive thru COVID-19 vaccination site.
“We are extremely excited about the expansion of the COVID-19 eligibility guidelines,” said Director of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Scarlett Rivera, RN. “Our teachers and educational support staff play such an important role in our children’s wellbeing and everyone at SGMC is grateful to be able to offer this tool to more people to help create a community of immunity.”
SGMC is advising that educators and support staff pre-register online to secure their appointment time and expedite the vaccination process which takes approximately 15-20 minutes.
To receive their vaccination, individuals must meet the eligibility qualifications and show valid identification at their appointment.
As of March 1, SGMC has administered vaccines to nearly 13,000 community members. Appointments are available for eligible individuals which also include Georgians age 65 and older and their caregivers, law enforcement, firefighters and other first responders (Phase 1a+), residents and staff of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, health care workers, and emergency medical personnel.
To pre-register for the SGMC Vaccination Event for educators, click here.
For all other available COVID-19 vaccination appointments, click here.