By Keith Murden & Ty Tagami / The Nugget & Capitol Beat --------- Fall is approaching fast, and with it comes that annual decision on whether or not to pursue seasonal flu and/or COVID-19 vaccinations. While flu shots are already widely available to the public, so far updated COVID-19 vaccinations are proving more difficult to obtain in 2025 than in years past.
Currently, the Lumpkin County Health Department does not have any new COVID shots available to local residents.
And while some large retail pharmacies in the state, like CVS and Walgreens, do have COVID-19 vaccines in stock already, a delay in updated guidance from the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention means that a doctor’s prescription is temporarily required, at least until the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meets September 18 and 19 in Atlanta.
However, exceptions exist for federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and Kaiser Permanente health care facilities, both of which may offer the jab without a prescription.
When asked whether a prescription would be required at the local health department once COVID vaccines finally arrive, Office Manager Susan Cox referred The Nugget to North Health District 2’s Public Information Officer, Christina Joseph.
“A prescription is not required to receive the COVID vaccine at the health department. We will begin vaccinating eligible individuals in accordance with ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) recommendations once they are released,” Joseph said.
And while Georgia’s public health agency is awaiting federal recommendations before setting its own COVID-19 vaccination policy, it is willing to “play a larger leadership role” if there are disagreements, the state’s top health official said Tuesday.
Georgia might have to set its own course and priorities and “ensure that accurate information is out” if leaders disagree with pending guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its advisors, state Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey told the Georgia Board of Public Health at their September meeting.
If federal leadership is “absent” on the vaccination question, she said, “we have to step up and make sure that the public is being served.”
FEDERAL TURMOIL?
Toomey’s message was delivered after misgivings were expressed by several board members.
Dr. James Curran, the board chairman and a former CDC employee, lamented “turmoil” at the federal agency under the new leadership of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Curran said Kennedy’s employee dismissals have culled the next generation of scientists at the CDC. Curran also expressed doubt in the reliability of the CDC’s pending COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.
So did board member Dr. Lucky Jain, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Emory University School of Medicine. He said faculty with young children have been emailing him with concerns about how to ensure vaccine access. He said they fear Georgia will follow the lead of Florida, which is moving to end all vaccine requirements for school children.
Florida’s plan drew criticism from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“The ripple effect of removing vaccine entry requirements would affect all of us, not just those with children in school,” the Florida chapter president, Dr. Rana Alissa, said after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his surgeon general, Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo, announced the new policy.
Jain asked what Georgia was doing “to avoid a situation like what has happened in Florida.”
Toomey responded that she spoke with Gov. Brian Kemp’s office about immunization last week.
“I think that there is a huge commitment and understanding of the importance of immunizations, particularly for children—for children’s health,” Toomey said. “And we intend to continue to carry that message.”
Jain also asked for clarity on a statement issued by Toomey’s agency last week indicating Georgia was awaiting guidance from the CDC and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Kennedy alarmed many observers by stripping the advisory panel of its members and gradually replacing them with his own picks.
Toomey clarified that she approved her agency’s message merely because she was waiting to make vaccine recommendations until seeing the federal guidance, which will affect insurance coverage and liability. She also said the state buys vaccine through a federal program, and it has not yet been shipped.
Georgia is not just saying “well, whatever,” she said. “We want to take action when there’s something we need to be addressing, and right now we’re waiting on that final approval because there are other factors within that that we have to consider.”
LOCAL RAMIFICATIONS
On the COVID-19 page of the Georgia Department of Public Health’s website, dph.georgia.gov/covid-19, a “Vaccine Notice” states that “The COVID vaccines just approved by FDA have not shipped, and the estimate for when they will ship is mid-September.”
Joseph confirmed that all of the state’s health departments “have proactively ordered COVID vaccines in anticipation of vaccinating patients this fall based on the forthcoming ACIP recommendations.”
In the meantime, Joseph said, “District 2 Public Health will provide a press release once we have more information on the ACIP recommendations and a confirmed timeline for the start of vaccination activities.”
The Nugget asked Joseph if she anticipates the COVID vaccine will cost money for residents without health insurance, even through the local health department.
“We do anticipate there will be a cost for the COVID vaccine for individuals without health insurance, though the exact amount has not yet been determined,” she stated.
The DPH website indicates that last year, that out-of-pocket cost amounted to “about $180.”