Officials with the Georgia Department of Public Health have suspended The Medical Center of Elberton from Georgia's COVID-19 Vaccination Program, but they say there are other locations in the county for residents to receive vaccines.
The hospital was suspended for vaccinating teachers in the county; teachers are not part of the population currently eligible to receive COVID vaccines.
The suspension - effective Wednesday, Jan. 27 - was confirmed in a press release issued Thursday.
"The suspension became effective immediately for a term of six months, ending July 27, 2021," the statement said. "The suspension is for The Medical Center of Elberton only. Five other vaccine providers in Elbert County, including the Elbert County Health Department, will continue to receive vaccine."
During the suspension, the hospital will not receive COVID-19 vaccine shipments. DPH officials said the hospital may use any remaining COVID-19 vaccine inventory for second doses.
The statement from DPH said all COVID-19 vaccine providers agree to vaccinate only individuals who fall into the designated priority groups.
"Currently, the supply of COVID-19 vaccine is very limited. In order to address this limited supply and ensure that individuals who are most at risk of infection get the vaccine first, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) issued recommendations about who should be prioritized to receive the vaccine," the statement said.
State officials said the recommendations were made at the federal level and initially included residents and staff of long-term care facilities and healthcare workers. The State of Georgia adopted the ACIP recommendations and then expanded them (Phase 1A+) to include law enforcement, fire personnel and individuals aged 65 and older.
DPH said it is working with the Northeast Georgia Health District to increase the amount of vaccine to other providers in Elbert County to ensure the needs of residents are met.
"We recognize that residents of Elbert County and neighboring areas may be concerned about reduced local availability of COVID-19 vaccines. The Elbert County Health Department intends to offer expanded COVID-19 vaccination services for eligible local residents," the statement said.
Brook McDowell, the Practice Administrator at the hospital, told CBS46 TV in Atlanta she believes the punishment is too harsh, especially since the initial guidelines for administering the vaccine were vague. She said they considered teachers to be essential workers.
"We do feel like it's a shame that our citizens and our population are being punished for this," McDowell told the TV station. "More permanent guidelines were not put into place until after we had vaccinated them, and since those guidelines have been set in place, we have adhered to them very closely."
McDowell said 170 teachers were vaccinated.
