Georgia allows all adults to receive vaccine starting Thursday

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) said Tuesday that he will expand access to the COVID-19 vaccine to all people over the age of 16 living in the state, a policy that will go into effect Thursday and comes just a week after he eliminated special COVID-19 capacity limits for Georgia’s bars and nightclubs.

Kemp announced the expanded vaccine access at a press conference, while reportedly adding that he would get vaccinated on Friday, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“Confirm your spot in line as quickly as possible,” the governor reportedly said. “This is our ticket back to normal, and we’re getting closer to that point every day.”

The state has at least partially vaccinated 2.06 million people out of roughly 11 million total across the state, and another 1.1 million have received a second dose. Georgia’s vaccination rate is ranked 45th in the nation, according to the Becker Hospital Review.

During his press conference Tuesday, Kemp reportedly warned of available vaccines not reaching Georgians in a timely fashion, while the Journal-Constitution reported that some state-run vaccination sites have reported low numbers of appointments being scheduled.

“We cannot afford to have vaccines sitting in the freezers, whether it’s in metro Atlanta or in rural Georgia,” the governor said, according to the Journal-Constitution.