Injections aren’t a big deal to Christine Deppen. She’s lived with Type 1 diabetes since she was 10 years old and relies on insulin to keep her alive.
But the shot she’ll get Friday is one that may also save the 45-year-old’s life: her first COVID-19 vaccine.
“I can’t wait to get the shot,” Deppen told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “But I’m still going to be cautious afterward and try not to be around people who haven’t had it.”
Her diabetes, along with Addison’s disease, means her immune system is compromised. Deppen is among the two-thirds of adult Georgians now eligible for the vaccine when eligibility expands drastically Monday. People age 55 and older along with those with a broad range of health conditions, from asthma to being overweight, are now included.
Deppen, who lives in Acworth, will head to the LakePoint Sports complex in Emerson, one of five additional mass vaccinations sites set to open Wednesday, bringing the total to nine in Georgia. Many county public health departments, pharmacies and doctor’s offices are also distributing the vaccines.
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With Georgia grappling with rock-bottom vaccination rates, Gov. Brian Kemp is encouraging more health care providers to think “outside the box.”
At a pop-up vaccine clinic Friday at the St. Philip AME Church in east Atlanta, the governor encouraged other providers to follow the lead of Walgreens, which launched three events through the Metro Atlanta Ministerial Alliance across the city. Uber teamed up with the pharmacy chain to provide free rides to the clinics.
“It’s how we get the vaccine out into the community whether at a church, a civil club, a neighborhood, a homeowners association,” said Kemp, adding: “I know we have providers out there that have doses and could do things like this.”
Georgia is vaccinating people at a slower pace than any other U.S. state, according to federal data, and the state has consistently been near the bottom of the rankings since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began posting the figures.
Kemp and state health officials point to other figures, such as data that shows roughly two-thirds of Georgians 65 and older have received at least one vaccine shot, outpacing the national average.
The state’s vaccine infrastructure will be tested anew when eligibility dramatically expands this week.
“In most areas, we have more infrastructure than we have demand, and we weren’t saying that several weeks ago,” said Kemp, highlighting state mass-vaccination sites in rural Georgia. “There’s no doubt about it: We have the infrastructure and we have the vaccine. What we need is for more people to sign up at those sites.”
Demand for the vaccine is soaring in much of metro Atlanta, but vaccine tracking websites show availability in other parts of the state, particularly North Georgia and coastal areas. Georgians can register online at myvaccinegeorgia.com for an appointment at one of the mass vaccination sites.
Some private pharmacies also were giving vaccinations, including Lily’s Pharmacy in Johns Creek. But on Sunday, the pharmacy’s website said all appointments for the week were already filled. Those planning to get the vaccine at a local pharmacy should first check for availability. For example, longtime Atlanta pharmacy Wender and Roberts does not yet have the vaccine, an employee said Sunday.
For Deppen, the vaccine will mean hopefully returning to pre-pandemic life. She and her sister, who also has an auto-immune disease, got appointments as soon as they were available and will both take their husbands.
During the past year, Deppen said she hasn’t been inside a store or restaurant and has relied on her husband, Cory, to do the grocery shopping. She’s missed being able to spend time with family, including a 12-year-old niece, whom she last saw when she dropped off a Christmas gift. Deppen is hopeful she’ll be able to continue managing her diseases and avoid getting sick.
“We’ll still be careful,” she said.
