Kemp: More Georgians getting vaccinated; mandates bad idea

ATLANTA (AP) The state has seen an increase in COVID-19 vaccinations since a rise in infections fueled by the delta variant of the virus, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Friday.

But he said some people may never be willing to take the shots, and he reiterated his opposition to COVID-related mandates, saying he didn't believe ``we need to have a dictatorship in government.''

``This is not preventing anyone from wearing a mask if they'd rather do that or feel uncomfortable, but it's not forcing a mandate that really at this point is divisive with our society,`` he said. ``We should be focused on getting people vaccinated.''

Kemp spoke at an elementary school in Cherokee County that reopened this week. With the delta variant spreading rapidly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics have advised in recent weeks that everyone in schools wear masks in communities with substantial or high transmission.

But educators have had to contend with strong resistance to masks from some parents and political leaders despite nationwide data showing school-age children now have infection rates higher than adults 50 and older.

District officials at the school Kemp visited have not required face coverings, but at least 28 of Georgia's more than 180 school districts encompassing more than 38% of the state's public school students are requiring masks. The tiny Taliaferro County School District in northeast Georgia announced this week that it was suspending in-person instruction for two weeks starting Aug. 4 because of COVID.

COVID infections in Georgia have climbed steadily since late June. Georgia recorded nearly 5,000 positive COVID-19 tests Thursday, pushing its seven-day average above 4,300. The last time the seven-day average was that high was in early February. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients rose to nearly 3,000, a six-fold increase over a month ago.

More than two dozen hospitals in the state said this week that they have had to turn away patients amid the rising COVID cases.

``Every hospital in our region is stretched to its limit,'' said Scott Steiner, president and CEO of Albany, Georgia-based Phoebe Putney Health System. The system has gone from eight to 97 COVID patients in a month.

The vast majority of people who have been hospitalized around the state are not vaccinated. Kemp said the state inoculated 20,000 people last week, up from weeks with roughly half that number. Still, only 41% of state residents are fully vaccinated, a significantly lower rate than other states. Kemp urged people to talk to their doctors and other people they trust about the vaccines.

``Every person we get vaccinated, it helps us make it harder to spread,'' he said.

To help boost vaccination rates, state health officials on Friday announced plans for pop-up art events this summer that will encourage people to get inoculated and offer shots on site without an appointment.