MACON, Ga. — As Georgia prepares to roll out COVID-19 vaccines, Central Georgia hospitals say they're in the early planning stages, and waiting to find out the next instructions by the state.
In Tuesday's press conference, Governor Brian Kemp said he wanted people to still be aware of the pandemic.
"I would urge my fellow Georgians, if there's an activity you don't have to do that involves being around a lot of people, don't do that," he said.
Kemp added that the COVID-19 vaccine is coming much quicker than expected, but not for everybody.
"The general public will not be able to be vaccinated for months," he said.
Medical Director of Infection Prevention at Navicent Health Jeff Stephens says his staff is on standby, waiting for the official FDA approval. So far, only one fact was confirmed by the state -- who will get the vaccine first.
"It is recommended for healthcare workers and then the elderly. The United Kingdom is doing the elderly first, there may be different strategies in different parts of the world, and again, none of those are wrong," he said.
At Coliseum Hospital, spokesperson Jennifer Jones says they "expect to get their vaccine by mid-December," but will "not release any details beforehand."
Fairview Park Hospital spokesperson Lindsay Black says they're "preparing to only give the vaccine to team members," and 'they will be using a "tiering" system to ensure that those at greatest risk of exposure to COVID-19 have access to the vaccine first'.
Stephens says for now, they just wait.
"The infrastructure and all that depends on the timing, again the approval is not yet approved in this country, but probably in the next few days," he said.
The state is expected to notify hospitals of the mandated procedures before Christmas.