Political Rewind: Incentives, Misinformation Duel As Officials Mull Way Forward In COVID Pandemic

Credit: Sam Bermas-Dawes, GPB News

Monday on Political Rewind: Georgia remains near the bottom of states with fully vaccinated residents. Some local officials are offering incentive programs, such as gift certificates, to encourage people to get COVID-19 shots. Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis joined our panel and discussed the latest efforts of his city.

Pfizer reported a low-dose vaccine is effective in young children. Vaccination of young people against COVID would represent a huge victory in the fight against the pandemic, but will misinformation stunt the effectiveness of this new development? 

"You have a worldwide population that is now addicted to certainty," Jim Galloway said. "It doesn't care what the information is. If it carries the imprimatur of the certainty there with it, that's where they want to go."

Also, Buckhead's attempt to separate from the city of Atlanta has gained national attention. Our panel discussed how this decision could impact the Republican Party, and other cities in Georgia.

Panelists:

Mayor Hardie Davis — Mayor of Augusta

Jim Galloway — Former political columnist, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Heath Garret — Republican political consultant

Dr. Amy Steigerwalt — Professor of political science, Georgia State University