UPDATE Thurs., Mar. 25: COVID-19 Testing at MAKO Medical sites in Dalton and Woodstock had to close early today due to weather but will reopen tomorrow at 8 AM. Learn more about Free Testing and how to register below.
North GA — As public health departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield counties complete the shift from COVID-19 testing to COVID-19 vaccine distribution, MAKO Medical is contracted to provide *Free COVID-19 Drive-thru Testing in the North Georgia Health District, beginning Monday, January 25.
and at
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he test is a nasal swab test to determine the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Testing results will be available within 48 hours. This is not an antigen or antibody test.
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED at https://mako.exchange/splash/GAmakotesting/.
*Insurance will be accepted, if available.
For more information about COVID-19 in North Georgia, log onto our website at www.nghd.org.
North GA — Following the first round of COVID-19 vaccines we administered beginning last December to
thousands of healthcare workers, medical first responders, and long-term care facility residents and staff in North Georgia, the North Georgia Health District (1-2) expanded its vaccination program to reach more and more members of the community. Now, over 100,000 residents have been vaccinated at COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics operated by public health departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield counties.
*Georgia Eligibility is open for everyone 12 years of age and older for the COVID vaccine.
Note: Pfizer is the only COVID vaccine currently approved for children ages 12 through 17.**
**Pfizer COVID vaccine is offered when available at some of our county health departments' COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics; however, it is most reliably available at our COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics in Cherokee, Pickens and Whitfield counties.
Everyone who is eligible for the vaccine may walk in without an appointment to a public health COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens or Whitfield county, or they may register for a COVID-19 vaccination appointment at gta-vras.powerappsportals.us or call 1-888-457-0186.
“Since we began our COVID-19 vaccination campaign in this health district on December 18th, our county health departments have vaccinated some of the most critically vulnerable people in our communities,” said Zachary Taylor, M.D., M.S., interim health director of the North Georgia Health District, based in Dalton. “Now we want to rapidly and effectively administer COVID-19 vaccine to even more members of our community.”
At present, health departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield counties have responded to an overwhelming demand to provide over 160,000 COVID-19 vaccinations (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) to residents. Residents may also wish to see if their private physician is a COVID-19 vaccine provider.
To find additional COVID-19 Vaccine information and other locations where the vaccine is available in Georgia, go to the Georgia Department of Public Health website at https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-vaccine.
NORTH GA– In response to the upcoming expansion of eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination in Georgia, county health departments in North Georgia Health District 1-2 will transition their focus from COVID-19 testing to meeting an increased demand for COVID-19 vaccinations.
Beginning January 11, testing will be offered at health departments in Fannin, Gilmer, Murray and Pickens counties Monday through Friday between 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM for symptomatic first responders, school employees and court staff. In Cherokee and Whitfield counties, COVID-19 testing will continue to be provided to anyone who needs it Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 11 AM, but by appointment only. To make an appointment for testing in Cherokee and Whitfield counties, call 1-888-881-1474.
This change will help meet the need to provide vaccines to a much larger portion of residents during the COVID-19 vaccination phases identified by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Residents should monitor the North Georgia Health District website at www.nghd.org for further updates and announcements regarding COVID-19 testing in North Georgia.
Beginning January 11, adults 65 years of age and older will be included among those who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Phase 1-A (refer to phases below), based on vaccine availability. Please watch for announcements containing instructions on where and how to get vaccinated on our here on our website, our social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and in the local media.
Learn more about COVID-19 vaccine in Georgia at https://dph.georgia.gov/press-releases/2020-12-30/more-georgians-become-eligible-receive-covid-19-vaccine.
Georgia is currently in Phase 1: Limited COVID-19 Vaccine Availability
Phase 1-A includes (*as of the date of this press release) paid and unpaid persons serving in a healthcare setting who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials. Hospital staff, public health clinical staff, EMS, and other first responders, long term care facility (LTCF) staff, and urgent care facility staff are examples of people who will be included in this phase.
Additional examples include:
Follow the plan for distribution and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine in Georgia.
COVID-19 Vaccine Plan (1.24 MB)
*Beginning January 11, all adults 65 years of age and older, law enforcement and fire personnel.
Phase 1-B will include other essential workers and people at higher risk of severe COVID-19 illness.
Examples of people that will be included in this Phase are listed below:
Phase 1-C will include people at higher risk of severe COVID-19 illness, not vaccinated during Phase 1-A or Phase 1-B.
Examples of this population include:
Dalton (GA) – The North Georgia Health District announced that Whitfield County Health Department received an initial shipment of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and began administrating the vaccine to healthcare workers from a variety of medical offices on Friday.
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| Dr. Pablo Perez, an interninst in Dalton, was one of the first to receive a COVID-19 vaccination for healthcare workers in North Georgia. Robin Coffey, a registered nurse at the Whitfield County Health Deparment, administered the vaccination. |
This first shipment of Pfizer vaccine contained 1,950 doses and is being kept in an ultracold freezer required for storage and temperature control of the vaccine.
Moderna vaccine should begin arriving in Georgia next week and will be distributed to health departments for administration to healthcare workers in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield counties.
Both Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine require the administration of two doses to be fully effective.
Because initial COVID-19 vaccine supplies are limited, the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) at the state and local level is following the recommendations of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) by prioritizing the vaccine for healthcare personnel and residents of long-term care facilities. The North Georgia Health District will also make vaccine available to local hospitals as those facilities await their own deliveries.
Additional information about distribution and administration of vaccine in North Georgia will be coming soon.
COVID-19 vaccine information in Georgia is available on the DPH website at https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-vaccine.