Georgia gov: Months until public has virus vaccine

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp urged people to keep abiding by public health guidance as state prepares to receive its first doses of coronavirus vaccine.

As in many or states, that initial shipment will be distributed among most vulnerable and first responders.

" limited amount of vaccine doses we will receive in coming days will be going to most vulnerable and those on front lines of fighting COVID-19," Republican goverr said Tuesday.

Kemp also touted his own handling of pandemic, saying: "We have been able to successfully balance both lives and livelihoods. Georgia businesses have been allowed to resume operations and people have been allowed to exercise ir constitutional freedoms. t every state has taken this approach."

Still, number of confirmed and suspected coronavirus infections has soared more than 70% in Georgia in last week.

Hospitals continue to sound alarms about ir ability to absorb new COVID-19 patients and a few schools gave up in-person instruction for remaining two weeks before Christmas holidays begin.

last week has seen a rapid takeoff in new infections, with state averaging more than 5,000 confirmed and suspected cases each day as of Monday.

Even just confirmed cases, based off molecular PCR tests, are w above high set on July 24, when hospitals statewide were groaning with cases and schools were pushing off start of acemic year because of high number of infections.

Despite rapid rise, Georgia still ranks only 44th among states for most new cases per capita in past 14 days, because cases are spreing so rapidly everywhere else.

Georgia Department of Public Health still rates 60% of Georgia's counties as having high transmission.

For most people, virus causes mild or moderate symptoms. But it can cause severe symptoms in and be fatal for ors, especially older ults and people with existing health problems.