Georgia Nurses Beginning To Receive Coronavirus Vaccine

Gov. Brian Kemp’s office says shipments received Monday include 5,850 doses of vaccine for the first in a two-dose series.

Frank Augstein / Associated Press

Officials in Georgia say frontline health care workers are beginning to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

Gov. Brian Kemp’s office says shipments received Monday include 5,850 doses of vaccine for the first in a two-dose series. Some nurses were being vaccinated Monday, and a broader program “for high priority individuals” would begin Tuesday.

Kemp and Dr. Kathleen Toomey, state public health commissioner, planned to be at the Chatham County Health Department in Savannah Tuesday for a vaccine shipment.

Kemp has previously said most Georgians will have to wait several months before they can get a shot. Toomey has said that vaccinating 10 million Georgia residents will likely take until summer.

In the meantime, the Republican governor has urged people to wear masks, wash their hands and “continue more than ever to watch our distance.”