Georgia Still Last in Vaccination Rate Under Brian Kemp

According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control, Georgia still ranks last in the nation in vaccination rate. Just 19.4% of the state population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the lowest rate of any state. Among states and territories, only Puerto Rico and Micronesia are vaccinating their population at a slower pace.

Though Governor Brian Kemp recently announced the expansion of vaccine availability to all Georgians over the age of sixteen, the problems that plague Georgia’s vaccine distribution system have not gone away. Georgia has long had an underfunded public health budget, and public health experts have pointed to the state’s poor execution of its vaccination program as cause for Georgia’s low rate.

“Today’s expansion of vaccine eligibility won’t cover up Brian Kemp’s total failure to implement an efficient vaccination program across Georgia,” said XX. “Changing eligibility criteria won’t solve the state’s mounting issues with uneven distribution and lack of access, especially among rural and low-income populations and communities of color. Rather than bringing vaccines to Georgians, Kemp has left people to fend for themselves to secure protection against COVID-19. Make no mistake — Georgia’s embarrassing last-in-the-nation status is a reflection of Kemp’s failures.”

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