This week, for the first time during the pandemic, the school year starts in Georgia with all children being eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, including preschoolers. Nonetheless, the state ranks nears the bottom nationwide in vaccination rates for children and teens, according to the most recent American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) report on the subject. With the highly-contagious BA.5 variant driving high community transmission levels across Georgia, large numbers of unvaccinated children going back to school together could lead to outbreaks, some experts warn.
“It’s a terrible situation,” said Dr. Sean O’Leary, chairman of the committee on infectious diseases at the AAP. “We will almost certainly see more cases of COVID in places that have low vaccination coverage like Georgia,” he said. “No school will go untouched.”
Dr. O’Leary said the state’s low pediatric vaccination rates are in line with the South as a region, which he called “striking,” particularly among 5- to 11-year-old children. Only 23% of children these ages in Georgia have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the July 27 report, based on CDC data. Nationwide, 37% of 5-11-year-olds have received at least one dose.