North Georgia – Testing for COVID-19 is still critical to continue reducing the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, and now those tests are even more readily available.

Free COVID-19 At-Home Test Kits are provided by the federal government in partnership with the United States Postal Service (USPS). Every household in the U.S. is eligible to order the free COVID-19 home tests and have them delivered straight to their door.

To order, go to covid.gov/tests. If help is needed with placing an order, call 1-800-232-0233 to be assisted in either English or Spanish. Anyone with a hearing impairment who needs assistance may use TTY 1-888-720-7489.

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GEORGIA SENATE BILL 375 - TOBACCO 21 LAW: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Retail Signage: Download to print and to clearly display at tobacco products point(s) of sale.The North Georgia Health District wants you to be aware of the Tobacco 21 Law and what we all must do to comply with that law. Here, we are providing you with that information and with beneficial resources to assist you.

What is Senate Bill 375 (Tobacco 21 or T21)? As of July 22, 2020, the sell or barter, directly or indirectly, any cigarettes, tobacco products, tobacco related objects, alternative nicotine products, or vapor products to anyone under the age of 21 years is illegal in Georgia.

What are retailers required to do? Retailers are responsible for upholding the law. Compliance checks are conducted and enforced on a continuous basis to ensure retailers are following federal and state Tobacco 21 laws that prohibit the sale of all tobacco products. Failure to comply with the Tobacco 21 law will result in a misdemeanor.

• Retailer must display Tobacco 21 signage in clearly visible locations
• Use a state-issued driver’s license, military ID, and passport to verify individuals’ age
• Train all staff on the following steps for every tobacco sale
  • Ask for valid ID from everyone attempting to purchase tobacco products
  • Check ID to make sure everyone is 21 years and older
  • Refuse to sell tobacco products to everyone under 21

Why public health needs retailers help? There has been an alarming increase in the use of tobacco products, e-cigarettes and flavored delivery systems among youth and young adults in our community. Almost 1 of every 5 high school students in Georgia are current tobacco users of cigarettes, hookah, cigars, smokeless tobacco, or electronic cigarettes (Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2019). As a licensed tobacco retailer, you play an important role ensuring the success of reducing access and use of tobacco products by complying with the Tobacco 21 law.

What are free resources for quitting tobacco? Georgia residents 13 years and older who want to quit smoking, vaping, or using tobacco, can call the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line.

• 1-877-270-7867 (English)
• 1-877-266-3863 (Spanish)
• 1-877-777-6534 (Hearing Impaired)
• Youth and young adults can enroll in This is Quitting by texting VAPEFREEGA to 88709 to quit

Let’s work together to keep our youth and young adults tobacco-free!

CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT GEORGIA'S TOBACCO 21 LAW.

• Everyone 5 and older is now eligible for COVID-19 Vaccine, and the vaccine is free and available without appointment during regular clinic hours at our county health departments. Only Pfizer is authorized for children 5 through 17 with parental consent (COVID-19 Vaccine Consent Form in English and in Spanish). Click HERE to learn details about Pfizer pediatric vaccine for 5 to 11 year olds.
• 3rd Shots for people with certain immunocompromised conditions are available at our health departments, and so are...
• 1st Booster Shots for residents who are eligible. These are people ages 12 and older who have reached the recommended time period for a booster shot since receiving their primary series of shots, including immunocompromised people 12 and older whose primary series included a 3rd shot. These booster vaccines include Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. A booster may be the same brand as a client's primary shots or the client may receive either Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine if they wish to do so and if that brand is available at the time of their visit (some providers may administer Johnson & Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 vaccine as a booster in some situations). However, at this time, only the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is authorized as the recommended booster for adolescents ages 12 to 17.  More information is available on the CDC’s website.
• 2nd Booster Doses of either Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of which vaccine doses were previously given (however, 12- to 17-year-olds may only receive Pfizer), are now authorized and available for:
  • People 50 years old and older, at least 4 months after receiving a 1st booster of any authorized COVID-19 vaccine.
  • People 12 years old and older who are immunocompromised, at least 4 months after receiving a 1st dose of any authorized COVID-19 vaccine (however, only Pfizer vaccine is authorized for 12- to 17-year-olds).
  • People 18 years old and older who received Janssen as both their primary series dose and booster, at least 4 months after that 1st booster. 

No appointment is needed for COVID-19 vaccination during clinic hours at Health Departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield counties. Be sure to look for our Health Departments' CLINIC HOURS and Locations - go HERE to our homepage and click on your county listed on that page.

North GA – No Appointment is needed for COVID-19 Vaccination in the North Georgia Health District during clinic hours at Public Health Departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield counties. There is NO Cost to clients, regardless of healthcare coverage. No Identification is required.

Nearly 200,000 COVID-19 vaccinations have been provided by public health in the North Georgia Health District and our county health officials continue to urge residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 right away, especially as the much more contagious Omicron variant of the virus is rapidly spreading in our communities.

Conveniently located near you! Register HERE.

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Anyone who has COVID-19 type symptoms or has been in close contact recently with a person infected with the virus needs to be tested for COVID-19, even if you are fully vaccinated.

Free COVID-19 Testing is offered at MAKO Medical Drive-Thru Testing Sites in North Georgia through a partnership with the Georgia Department of Public Health. There are no eligibility requirements other than having a Georgia address and registering online at https://mako.exchange/splash/GAmakotesting/. 

**Please do not call the facilities where testing is operated or the county health departments for information. These facilities and health departments DO NOT operate testing. MAKO Medical is in charge. Therefore, please direct all testing-related questions to MAKO Medical via their website at https://mako.exchange/splash/GAmakotesting/.**

The FREE COVID-19 Drive-thru testing sites in North Georgia are:

**Please do not call these locations or the county health departments. No information is available by phone at these locations**

More information about MAKO Medical’s Free COVID-19 Testing is available at the registration link.