Boosters Vital To COVID-19 Fight For Immunne Compromised

ATLANTA — State health officials are recommending booster shots for vaccinated seniors and people with compromised immune systems.

That was the primary message Thursday from Georgia Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey, advising, however, that getting the third shot was not urgent.

“You don’t need to run, but walk to get your booster,” Toomey said at a public address Thursday morning, with a message for those yet to receive a shot. “The single most important thing we can do is get your vaccination.”

While she pointed out that a booster was not a requirement, Toomey echoed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky’s recommendations.

“First and foremost individuals 65 and older and any individual and long-term care facilities, regardless of age,” Toomey said. “We are working with the long-term care facilities actively now. But in the her discussion Dr. Walensky suggested that a way to think about this is anyone 18 … to 64 with underlying medical conditions that may put them at risk for complications can also be eligible.”

That includes obesity, diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung disease, severe asthma, and dementia, she said.

Gov. Brian Kemp announced that as the spike in the delta variant is waning, Georgia’s COVID-19 positive numbers are down and the number of people in the state with at least one vaccination shot have increased.

In the last two weeks, the number of reported cases in Georgia dropped by more than 15,000, according to DPH records.

Meanwhile, the percentage of of Georgians with at least one shot grew to 54 percent and the percentage of fully vaccinated state residents increased to 47 percent, DPH records show.

Kemp took the moment to complain that the federal supply of monoclonal antibodies, the recommended treatments for those suffering from COVID 19 symptoms, was being scaled back.

“Previously providers were ordered directly from the distributor,” he said. “Now the state is given a weekly allocation and must determine where the treatment doses go based on utilization and reporting. In short, we're being capped on our allocation.”

But Kemp pointed out that monoclonal antibodies was not a method of preventing the virus, and encouraged people to get the shot.

“Monoclonal antibody treatments are secondary to getting vaccinated,” he said. “Our three safe effective vaccines remain the best tools we have to slow the spread of COVID 19 and to prevent hospitalizations and death. Today I want to emphasize the importance of not waiting until the next wave of COVID cases to get vaccinated.”