A CDC study of COVID cases in Marietta City Schools, whose results were published Monday, found that educators played a major role in recent school outbreaks there. The researchers concluded that vaccinations of teachers, along with school mitigation measures, “is a critical component of preventing in-school transmission.’’ Vaccination of teachers has become a high-profile topic…
An Elbert County physician office that was penalized for giving COVID-19 vaccine to teachers has seen its controversial suspension shortened by state health officials. An agreement Thursday between the state and the Medical Center of Elberton came a day after the Department of Public Health set out the penalties for vaccine providers who give shots…
Georgia educators may be next in line to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Gov. Brian Kemp said Thursday that state officials will be finalizing plans over the next two weeks to expand the list of people eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine. His remarks on vaccine eligibility focused on educators, suggesting that teachers and other school…
The Elbert County medical practice at the center of a COVID-19 vaccine controversy says it was shocked at being suspended by the state after giving shots to educators. “We feel we were used to send a message,’’ said Dr. Jonathan Poon, part of the seven-physician family medicine practice in rural northeast Georgia. “We were really…
By Katja Ridderbusch When Randall Hampton got his first dose of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine in mid-January, he asked the nurse to give him the booster shot right away. “But they wouldn’t do it,” he says, shrugging his shoulders. “They wanted me to come back three weeks later.” (As eager as he was, the wait is…
The state’s Department of Public Health has told its employees – already stretched from pandemic duty — that they can’t take annual leave or vacation till at least April. In a Jan. 8 memo obtained by Georgia Health News, the state agency described a three-month moratorium on taking leave due to the vaccination rollout. “To…
The fight over the future of Georgia Power’s coal ash ponds has returned to the Gold Dome. And its outcome could influence whether thousands of Georgians will need to worry about groundwater contamination potentially caused by the toxic waste sites. Democratic lawmakers have announced legislation intended to protect Georgians from possible harmful health impacts of coal…
A teacher in southeast Georgia says she got COVID-19 at a school-sponsored event last month. Several others who attended the event also were infected, the teacher says. And the teacher, who requested anonymity because she’s still employed by the school system, said her husband got COVID from her. She has recovered, but he “is still…
Georgia received mostly failing grades on tobacco control policies in an annual American Lung Association report. The report from the organization emphasized the issue’s impact amid the pandemic, pointing out that cigarette smokers face a higher risk of severe illness if they contract COVID-19. The “State of Tobacco Control 2021,’’ released Wednesday, calls for Georgia…
Story updated Southern states have higher rates of unreported COVID-related deaths than other regions of the country, according to a new study. The study, led by Andrew Stokes, a professor of global health at Boston University School of Public Health, analyzed deaths in 787 U.S. counties that had more than 20 COVID fatalities from Feb….