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Forsyth County to open events for COVID-19 vaccine, registration by appointment only
VACCINE

Chris Grimes, director of Forsyth’s Emergency Management Agency,  spoke during the board of commissioners work session Tuesday, Jan. 12, to present to the board new measures Forsyth County will be taking to help District 2 Department of Public Health distribute the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We know that [District 2] is struggling … and that they have a lot of challenges to get this vaccine out,” Grimes said.

The demand for the COVID-19 vaccine has been growing in Forsyth County as District 2 enters Phase 1-A+ which allows residents over the age of 65 to register for vaccination appointments. District 2 entered Phase 1-A+ on Monday, Jan. 11.

Grimes told the board that starting next week, Forsyth County will be holding mass vaccination events, which will be held each Tuesday and Wednesday for the next four weeks, beginning on Jan. 19.

The events will be held at two locations: First Redeemer Church (2100 Peachtree Parkway) on Tuesdays and Browns Bridge Church (3860 Browns Bridge Road) on Wednesdays. Each event will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and they will be by appointment only. Walk-in appointments will be strictly prohibited due to the limited amount of vaccine doses allocated.

Appointments for the second round of doses will be set up during the event, making sure each resident will return within 28 days for the follow-up vaccine. Grimes said the Department of Public Health will likely be supplying the most vaccines from Moderna, which allows for a longer time between doses.

Volunteers from the fire department, sheriff’s office and Northside Hospital Forsyth will be helping to administer the vaccine and control traffic during the vaccination events. A nurse from the Department of Public Health will be at each event to oversee the process.

To register for an appointment, visit http://ow.ly/Ua0150D6RGa.

Grimes said the county is expecting to be able to get through 600 appointments each day.

Grimes also discussed the topic of volunteer opportunities, stating that Gov. Brian  Kemp authorized under executive order that advanced EMTs can administer the vaccine. This expands the pool of volunteers from the Forsyth County Fire Department that can become registered vaccinators.

Those with current medical licenses that wish to volunteer can apply to become vaccinators by going to www.servga.gov and creating an account. Those that would like to volunteer regardless can contact the Emergency Management Agency at ema@forsythco.com.

According to officials with the Department of Public Health, other providers set to receive the vaccinations will get allocated orders as they are available.