Dr. Lawton Davis, Director of the Coastal Health District of Georgia
Covid 19 Vaccinations
On February 16, Dr. Lawton Davis, Director of the Coastal Health District of Georgia, made a Zoom presentation to the Skidaway Hamiltons and Abigails on COVID 19. Dr. Davis’s presentation was extremely informative, providing a history of the virus, the local response to it, and the development of vaccines, as well as providing an update on local vaccination efforts. A few highlights of the talk follow:
Chatham County is using the Pfizer vaccine because it has the required refrigeration capacity. Phase 1A of the vaccine rollout in Georgia went well, but when Georgia expanded vaccine eligibility to all people over 65 years old on January 11, the District’s appointment system was overwhelmed. The state’s automated scheduling system is still not ready so the Coastal Health District found its own system. It is performing well Only 30 to 55% of health workers have been willing to get the vaccine, but, in this area, more than 75% of people over 65 are eager to get the vaccine.
Vaccine supply is still a problem. Georgia was initially getting 200,000 doses of vaccine per week, with 40,000 doses were going to CVS and Walgreens for long term care facilities (LTCF’s). The LTCF vaccinations are now essentially finished so more is available for the general public. Georgia’s current allocation is 220,000 per week, and it will take two or three months to get the vaccine required for those over 65 at the current rate. There are 2,200 vaccine providers in Georgia, but some large corporate hospitals are not participating because there is no profit in administering vaccinations.
Locally, hospitals are vaccinating their own staff. St Joe/Candler is doing first responders. Hospice of Savannah is running a vaccination site at Gulfstream on Fridays, and JC Lewis Federally Qualified Health Centers have a mobile health van going to low-income areas. Savannah/Chatham County public school nurses are helping at vaccination centers and will eventually help with all SCCPSS staff. St Joe/Candler is working with African-American churches to provide vaccination events at churches. The Chatham County Board of Health is doing about 1,000 vaccinations per day, 35,000 in total to date.
Dr. Davis explained the science behind the various vaccines. The next vaccine likely to be approved is Johnson & Johnson. While it is only 72% effective overall, it is 85% effective in preventing severe illness and 100% effective in preventing death. It also requires only a single dose and only standard refrigeration.
Dr. Davis indicated there were still many questions about the vaccines. Do they prevent asymptomatic infection or transmission? Do they protect against new variants? How long do the vaccines provide protection? Will booster shots be required? Could there be an all-in-one vaccine that targets both the spike protein and the virus envelope? Will there be more mutational variants of the virus? He said that Phase 1B of vaccinations( essential workforce) will not begin until vaccine supply increases, probably in March. Teachers and judiciary personnel will likely be in that group.
In response to questions, Dr. Davis said the Health Department has an end-of-the-day protocol for using any remaining doses. Typically, the number of such doses is very small and is quickly absorbed by qualified people on standby. He warned against lining up outside the facility in hopes of getting a shot. He said that part-time residents of Georgia and those working in Georgia but residing in neighboring states could get their shots here. Finally, he cautioned those who have received their vaccinations to remain very careful, maintaining social distancing and masking discipline.
