Coffee Regional Medical Center has announced the following additions to the COVID-19 vaccination operation.
Beginning March 8, 2021, the following groups will also be eligible for the COVID vaccine:
- Educators and staff (Pre-K, K-12, DECAL licensed or exempt child care programs)
- Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers
- Intellectual Disability is a disability characterized by significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, which covers many everyday social and practical skills. This disability originates before the age of 22.
- A developmental disability is a physical or mental impairment that happens before the age of 22, is expected to last a lifetime, and impacts at least three daily living activities. Activities of daily living include self-care, receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent living, and economic self-sufficiency.
- Parents of children with complex medical conditions who are at high risk for COVID complications
- Malignancies requiring active treatment
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) including organ transplant (bone marrow or solid organ) within two years
- Critical congenital heart disease
- Asthma (moderate to severe)
- Sickle cell disease
- Diabetes
- Obesity (BMI >95%)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Significant neurologic injury or condition (e.g. hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, traumatic brain injury, congenital anomaly, acute flaccid myelitis) with functional/developmental impairment (e.g. cerebral palsy, developmental disability, prematurity, mitochondrial disease)
- Technology dependence (e.g. BiPAP, trach)
Coffee Regional Medical Center and the Georgia Department of Public Health Southeast Health District are working with area school administration on an effective roll-out to those educators and school staff wishing to be vaccinated.
The COVID-19 vaccination call center at Coffee Regional Medical Center is open and is scheduling vaccination appointments for those eligible under Phase 1A+ and the new expansion mentioned above. The call center (1-912-720-8306) will be answering calls from 8 am – 1 pm Monday – Thursday.
COVID-19 vaccines have passed rigorous reviews and are highly effective. Scientists had a significant head start developing the COVID-19 vaccines as COVID-19 is very similar to other viruses, which already have vaccines. It is important to note that there is no COVID-19 virus in the vaccine. The vaccine imitates the infection so that our bodies create antibody defenses to fight off COVID-19. Once you are vaccinated, please follow the 3 W’s: Wear a mask, Wash your hands, and Watch your distance. Although you will have protection from the COVID-19 virus, it is unknown if you can still carry and pass the virus along to others.