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Atlanta City Council to vote on expanding COVID-19 vaccinations
The Atlanta City Council is considering a resolution to urge Georgia health officials to allow more essential workers to be vaccinated.
ATLANTA - As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues, there are growing calls to expand the criteria for who can receive the vaccine in the first phase. The Atlanta City Council will vote on a resolution on Monday to urge Georgia's Department of Public Health to allow all essential workers to be vaccinated as a part of the phase 1a category.
According to state health officials, about 1.4 million vaccines have been administered across the state. More than 664,000 seniors have also received their first dose of the vaccine.
Atlanta City Council member Antonio Brown is one member who is proposing the resolution to vaccinate all essential workers in the first phase of the rollout.
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"We have folks in the city that have been out here, and maybe not been identified as essential workers because they're not in the healthcare field, but have still been working since the pandemic started," Brown explained. "That's why we're seeking to amend the phase 1a category."
Brown's resolution would call for other essential workers like corrections officers, food, public transit, school, and other essential workers to be included in the phase 1a category.
A vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine sits on a table at a drive-thru vaccine site in Atlanta. (Eli Jordan, FOX 5 Atlanta)
"We believe that they are critical to the sustainability of the city, and they continue to be critical because they're out here working within these businesses to allow them to sustain," said Brown.
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Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey have previously said they can't expand the criteria until they have more vaccine supply. State officials said they must prioritize those most at risk.
Brown told FOX 5 he needs to advocate for residents in his district.
"It's going to let community residents know that we hear them, and we understand, and we are fighting to ensure that they are a part of the 1a vaccination process," said Brown.
If the resolution is passed, it would then be sent to Kemp, Toomey, and all members of the Georgia General Assembly.
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