Georgia To Open COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility To All Age 16 And Up

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The Macon Farmers Market mass vaccination site around 2:30 p.m. Monday Feb. 22, 2021.

Credit: Grant Blankenship / GPB News

All people age 16 and over will be eligible to register for and receive COVID-19 vaccines in Georgia as soon as Thursday, Gov. Brian Kemp said Tuesday.

The Pfizer/BioNTech brand vaccine is the only one approved for ages 16 and 17.

“This is our ticket back to normal, and we’re getting closer to that point every single day,” Kemp said.

Last week, Kemp added judges and courthouse staff to the list of Georgians currently eligible, which includes high-risk individuals with asthma and other medical conditions. That includes parents of children with special circumstances.

The governor said he plans to be vaccinated on Friday in Waycross, a town of 16,000 in southeast Georgia, “to help encourage all Georgians to take advantage of this medical miracle of modern science.”

Find A Georgia COVID-19 Vaccine Provider

Georgians have many options when looking to get vaccinated, including nine mass vaccination sites in Bibb, Dougherty, Habersham, Fulton, Chatham, Ware, Washington, Bartow and Muscogee counties.  Click here to go to the site to register for vaccines at any of those mass vaccination locations.

For people who need a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, the earliest one can receive the shot is 21 days later. But GEMA Director James Stallings said people have up to 42 days to receive that second dose.

Providers do not need to hold back vials of vaccine for a second dose, and Kemp expects providers to use 80% of doses within seven days of receiving vaccine.

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