Political Rewind: Expanded Vaccine Eligibility In Georgia; And Lessons Learned From A Pandemic

Caption

A resident of Monarch Villa memory care facility gets vaccinated with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Monday, Jan. 11, 2021, in Stockbridge, Ga. The center director Pat Mobley says all 26 residents of the home were scheduled to be vaccinated.

Credit: John Bazemore, AP

Monday on Political Rewind: More than half of Georgia's adults are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. Starting today, Georgians 55 years and older or adults with significant health problems now qualify for vaccinations. Officials hope the dramatic expansion will turn around the state’s tepid vaccine rollout.

Also, Georgia’s poorest families could be among the biggest beneficiaries of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 relief bill. Analysts estimate the variety of direct payments and other benefits could reduce child poverty in the state by almost half. We discussed how the plan marks a significant reversal of decades of federal policy.

Finally: Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan told NBC’s "Meet the Press" this weekend that former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the Georgia election results “disgusted” him.

Panelists:

Dr. Andra Gillespie — Professor of Political Science & Director, James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference, Emory University

Rep. Chuck Efstration — State Representative (R-Dacula)

Rep. Scott Holcomb — State Representative (D-Atlanta)

Jim Galloway — Political Analyst and Former Lead Political Writer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution