Georgia is currently in Phase 1 of the Department of Health’s COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Plan, and as of Monday, January 11, all adults 65 years of age and older, law enforcement and fire personnel were officially able to receive the first dose of the vaccination.
Prior to Monday, the plan included paid and unpaid persons serving in a healthcare setting who “have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials." This includes hospital staff, public health clinical staff, EMS, and other first responders, long term care facility staff, staff in clinical settings, etc.
The Fannin County Health Department, and other health departments across the North Georgia Health District (NGHD), are vaccinating those listed in this phase by appointment only.
Those interested in making an appointment can call the district’s toll-free hotline at 1-888-881-1474. They can also register online at www.nghd.org.
“If you experience difficulties getting through, please be patient and be assured you will be provided an appointment for your COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible,” NGHD Public Information Officer and Risk Communicator Jennifer King said.
Residents must make an appointment to be vaccinated in the county where they live or work. Walk-ins will not be accepted.
The next phase, Phase 1B, will include other essential workers and people at higher risk of severe COVID-19 such as pharmacy staff, educational faculty and staff, correctional facility staff, court employees, food processors, grocery store workers, transportation staff, nuclear power plant employees, air traffic controllers, etc.
Fannin County Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Gwatney said that approximately 50% of the system’s staff had expressed an interest in receiving the vaccination through a recent survey sent out by school system officials.
At this time, there is no set date for the rollout of Phase 1B.
Multiple agencies and departments across Fannin County have been affected by the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in the county including the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office, Fannin County Recreation Department, Fannin County Health Department and Fannin County Road Department, among others.
Many of these departments, and the Fannin County Courthouse, are undergoing deep cleaning processes.
Masks are currently required to enter the courthouse following a judicial order from Chief Superior Court Judge Brenda Weaver that affects all courthouses in the Appalachian Judicial Circuit.
“We did learn a little bit back in the spring, or summer, of 2020 about COVID-19 when it first hit, and hopefully we can move forward in a positive manner to get past this,” Fannin County Board of Commissioner’s Chairman Jamie Hensley said. “It’s going to take a team effort, if you will, to move forward, so we’re just going to try to do every safety precaution that we possibly can and still conduct business if that’s a possibility.”
According to Weaver’s order, all hearings will be held by remote videoconference until at least January 31.
The Fannin County Sheriff’s Office is temporarily closed to the public, and all business is being conducted by telephone, fax and email. Fingerprint services and criminal history reports are suspended while the office is closed.
The office can be reached by phone at 706-632-2044. Open records and Incident Reports can be requested by email at openrecords@fanninsheriffga.us or by fax at 706-258-5237. Those who need to file an incident report can call non-emergency dispatch at 706-632-2043.
The Recreation Department has been closed and placed a hold on youth sports through Friday, January 15.
Blue Ridge City Hall’s lobby is closed to the public, however business can still be conducted through the drive-thru at this time.