Georgia’s Department of Public Health has suspended a provider from getting more COVID-19 vaccines for six months, after the location vaccinated teachers who are not eligible according to the state’s guidelines.
Elbert County Superintendent Jon Jarvis told local media that about 40% of his district’s 500 employees chose to get the vaccine in early January. Jarvis did not explain how the district got access to the doses.
Wednesday evening, the department of health issued their suspension to the Medical Center of Elberton for vaccinating “individuals in the Elbert County School District who were outside of the current Phase 1A+ eligible population."
Georgia is currently vaccinatinghealth care workers, long-term care facility residents and staff, those 65 years or older, and law enforcement, firefighters and other first responders.
The department of health said “moving to additional phases without approval from DPH is a violation of the vaccine provider agreement.”
The Medical Center of Elberton will be able to use the current supply of COVID-19 vaccine they have, however they will not receive any new supply until the suspension ends on July 21.
“The governor has asked us to put shots in arms and that’s what we want to do,” Brooke McDowell, a medical administrator with Elbert County’s health center, told local media.
The center told WSBthey plan to appeal.