Vaccine hesitancy is the latest battle in the fight against COVID-19

ATLANTA - As state leaders work towards their goal of vaccinating all Georgians, they said they are running into an issue when it comes to vaccine hesitancy.

Some parts of the state are seeing many people who are reluctant to receive the vaccine.

"Unfortunately cases are declining but there’s still COVID-19 in Georgia and we have the new variant from Brazil," Ashley Deverell said.

Ashley Deverell is the Immunization Coordinator for the North Georgia Health District and she is pushing for everyone to receive a vaccination.

"We’ve noticed with the minorities up towards the northern part of Georgia. There’s a large Hispanic population and we want to make sure everyone has it in them to get vaccinated," Deverell said.

Thursday, all Georgians 16 and older will be eligible to sign up and receive a vaccine. Earlier in the week, Governor Brian Kemp said there’s hesitation from some.

"Some people are very afraid of new vaccines because it is such a new vaccine. Other vaccines have been around for years and all of a sudden we have a vaccine we just found out about and it’s been developed in about a year," Deverell said.

The North Georgia Health Department has launched a special section on its website aimed at answering common questions and clearing up myths.

Deverell said the medical community and most people 65 and older have been signing up. The focus now is on the younger population.

Also, don’t wait for a specific vaccine.

"Get whatever vaccine is offered to you. They are all very good and all protect you against severe illness. I wouldn’t recommend waiting around for a certain brand I would just get the vaccine that’s available to you," Deverell said.

What about those with allergies?

"If you are getting injectable allergy shots you might want to time them effectively between your vaccination appointment to make sure you’re getting the most uptake from the vaccine you can," Deverell said.

Officials report most of the allergic reactions are sore arm, muscle aches, chills, and fatigue and usually goes away 36 to 48 hours after vaccination.

Click here for the questions page on the health department.

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