Lyon Management in Douglas has graciously agreed to provide 1,000 FREE food vouchers in an effort to encourage more community members to be vaccinated from COVID-19. Tuesday, April 27th, and Wednesday, April 28th, CRMC will hold our weekly FREE COVID-19 vaccination clinic with extended hours of 8 am to 4 pm at Central Square Complex in downtown Douglas. No appointment is necessary, and those interested will be able to drive-thru the clinic to be vaccinated. The 2-dose Moderna and Pfizer vaccination will also be administered at this event. Those vaccinated (with their 1st or 2nd dose) will be given a voucher for meal options at one of three locations in Douglas: Dairy Queen, Kentucky Fried Chicken, or Krystal.
According to the Georgia Department of Health Vaccine Distribution Dashboard, only 33% of residents in Georgia have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 22% are fully vaccinated. That same data shows only 18% of residents in Coffee County have received at least one dose, and 15% are fully vaccinated. Based on these numbers, we want to continue to create opportunities to provide more vaccines so we can all move beyond COVID-19 in our community.
The demand for the COVID-19 vaccination has begun to decline nationwide, and we are seeing the same trend locally. There are various reasons for this decline, including fear and vaccine hesitancy, lack of transportation, and lack of awareness. Coffee Regional Medical Center is making all efforts to ensure everyone who wishes to be vaccinated has the opportunity to do so.
As your healthcare provider, we understand the science behind the need for a vaccination. Not only will the vaccine protect the individual vaccinated, it also protects those around that individual. Herd immunity has become a popular term, and we believe it’s a very important term that our community should understand. Herd immunity is a term used to describe a community becoming immune to a disease, making the further spread of that disease within the community unlikely. It is estimated that roughly 90% of the population must be immune to reach herd immunity. There is a major public health risk if our community does not reach herd immunity from COVID-19; therefore, we must encourage everyone to do their part. The danger of taking too long to achieve herd immunity is that we leave the door open for new variants of COVID-19 to emerge. Please join your friends at Coffee Regional Medical Center and Lyon Management to ensure our community is safe and healthy!