MONKEYPOX VACCINE AND TESTING ARE AVAILABLE IN NORTH GEORGIA

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MONKEYPOX VACCINE

The North Georgia Health District now offers monkeypox vaccinations by appointment only at the Cherokee County Health Department Woodstock Health Center at 7545 North Main Street, Suite 100, Woodstock, GA 30188 and at the Whitfield County Health Department at 800 Professional Boulevard, Dalton, GA 30720. Vaccines are available through Public Health at no cost to the individual; however, due to a limited number of doses, the vaccines are available by appointment only and only for people who are currently eligible for the vaccine.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility for vaccination is prioritized for people who are at high risk for infection, which currently includes:

• A contact to a monkeypox case identified in the last 14 days by public health via case investigation
• HIV positive and have multiple sex partners
• A man who has sex with men (MSM) and having multiple sex partners
• A PrEP patient and having multiple sex partners

APPOINTMENT REGISTRATION

To confirm you are eligible for a monkeypox vaccination and to register for one of our available appointments, call:  

• Woodstock Health Center at (770) 928-0133, or
• Whitfield County Health Department at (706) 279-9600

You may also click on our Attestation for Administration of a Jynneos^TM Monkeypox Vaccine form to see the current eligibility criteria and to download and complete the form prior to your appointment.

"Walk-ins" will NOT be vaccinated upon arrival. They will be asked to call back to one of the above phone numbers to confirm their eligibility for vaccination and, if eligible, to be registered for an appointment.

WHEN APPOINTMENTS ARE FULL

Vaccine supply is extremely limited across the U.S. Currently, states are awaiting additional allocations from our federal partners. At this time, the Woodstock Health Center and the Whitfield County Health Department are the only monkeypox vaccination locations in our health district and they do not have general vaccine availability. As the North Georgia Health District receives vaccines, we will open more appointments until vaccine supply increases. Please monitor our website (www.nghd.org) for appointment information and availability updates. You may also call back to the clinics for updates at (770) 928-0133 in Woodstock or (706) 279-9600 in Dalton.

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North Georgia – Testing for COVID-19 is still critical to continue reducing the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, and now those tests are even more readily available.

Free COVID-19 At-Home Test Kits are provided by the federal government in partnership with the United States Postal Service (USPS). Every household in the U.S. is eligible to order the free COVID-19 home tests and have them delivered straight to their door.

To order, go to covid.gov/tests. If help is needed with placing an order, call 1-800-232-0233 to be assisted in either English or Spanish. Anyone with a hearing impairment who needs assistance may use TTY 1-888-720-7489.

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GEORGIA SENATE BILL 375 - TOBACCO 21 LAW: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Retail Signage in English & Spanish: Click to download and print to clearly display at tobacco products point(s) of sale.The North Georgia Health District wants you to be aware of the Tobacco 21 Law and what we all must do to comply with that law. Here, we are providing you with that information and with beneficial resources to assist you.

What is Senate Bill 375 (Tobacco 21 or T21)? As of July 22, 2020, the sell or barter, directly or indirectly, any cigarettes, tobacco products, tobacco related objects, alternative nicotine products, or vapor products to anyone under the age of 21 years is illegal in Georgia.

What are retailers required to do? Retailers are responsible for upholding the law. Compliance checks are conducted and enforced on a continuous basis to ensure retailers are following federal and state Tobacco 21 laws that prohibit the sale of all tobacco products. Failure to comply with the Tobacco 21 law will result in a misdemeanor.

• Retailer must display Tobacco 21 signage in clearly visible locations
• Use a state-issued driver’s license, military ID, and passport to verify individuals’ age
• Train all staff on the following steps for every tobacco sale
  • Ask for valid ID from everyone attempting to purchase tobacco products
  • Check ID to make sure everyone is 21 years and older
  • Refuse to sell tobacco products to everyone under 21

Why public health needs retailers help? There has been an alarming increase in the use of tobacco products, e-cigarettes and flavored delivery systems among youth and young adults in our community. Almost 1 of every 5 high school students in Georgia are current tobacco users of cigarettes, hookah, cigars, smokeless tobacco, or electronic cigarettes (Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2019). As a licensed tobacco retailer, you play an important role ensuring the success of reducing access and use of tobacco products by complying with the Tobacco 21 law.

What are free resources for quitting tobacco? Georgia residents 13 years and older who want to quit smoking, vaping, or using tobacco, can call the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line.

• 1-877-270-7867 (English)
• 1-877-266-3863 (Spanish)
• 1-877-777-6534 (Hearing Impaired)
• Youth and young adults can enroll in This is Quitting by texting VAPEFREEGA to 88709 to quit

Let’s work together to keep our youth and young adults tobacco-free!

CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT GEORGIA'S TOBACCO 21 LAW.

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• CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccines for everyone 6 months and older and boosters for everyone 5 years and older, if eligible.

  Lost your COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card? Click here to learn what to do.

  These vaccines are offered at our Public Health Departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens, and Whitfield counties, but to be sure the type of COVID-19 vaccine you may want or need is available when you arrive, click on your county's name above to contact your local health department. Otherwise, No Appointment is needed during regular clinic hours. There is No Cost to clients for this vaccine, and No Identification is required.

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  Note: Pfizer and Moderna vaccine are authorized for children aged 6 months through 17. For more information about COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children and teens, please visit the CDC's COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens. (See the COVID-19 Vaccine Consent Form in English and in Spanish).

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• 3rd Shots for people with certain immunocompromised conditions are available at our health departments, and so are... 

• 1st Booster Shots are available for residents who are eligible and have reached the recommended time period for a booster shot since receiving their primary series of shots, including eligible immunocompromised people whose primary series included a 3rd shot. These booster vaccines include Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. A booster may be the same brand as a client's primary shots or the client may receive either Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine if they wish to do so and if that brand is available at the time of their visit (*some providers may administer Johnson & Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 vaccine as a booster in some situations). More information is available on the CDC’s website.

• 2nd Booster Doses of either Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of which vaccine doses were previously given, are now authorized and available for:
  • People 50 years old and older, at least 4 months after receiving a 1st booster of any authorized COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Some people 12 years old and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised, at least 4 months after receiving a 1st dose of any authorized COVID-19 vaccine.

Again, no appointment is needed for COVID-19 vaccination during regular clinic hours at Health Departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens, and Whitfield counties... be sure to look for your County Health Department's CLINIC HOURS and Location by clicking on the name of your county above.

North GA – No Appointment is needed for COVID-19 Vaccination in the North Georgia Health District during regular clinic hours at Public Health Departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens, and Whitfield counties. There is NO Cost to clients, regardless of healthcare coverage. No Identification is required.

Over 200,000 COVID-19 vaccinations have been provided by public health in the North Georgia Health District and our county health officials continue to urge residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 right away, especially as the much more contagious Omicron variants of the virus are rapidly spreading in our communities.

Conveniently located in North Georgia! Register HERE.

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Anyone who has COVID-19 type symptoms or has been in close contact recently with a person infected with the virus needs to be tested for COVID-19, even if you are fully vaccinated.

Free COVID-19 Testing is offered at a MAKO Medical Drive-Thru Testing Site in North Georgia through a partnership with the Georgia Department of Public Health. There are no eligibility requirements other than having a Georgia address and registering online at https://mako.exchange/splash/GAmakotesting/. 

**Please do not call the facility where testing is operated or the county health departments for information. The facility and health departments DO NOT operate testing. MAKO Medical is in charge. Therefore, please direct all testing-related questions to MAKO Medical via their website at https://mako.exchange/splash/GAmakotesting/.**

The location, address and hours for FREE COVID-19 Drive-thru testing at the MAKO Medical site in North Georgia is: