Gov. Kemp exposed to COVID while touring Georgia storm damage. He’s quarantined again

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is in quarantine after he came into contact with someone infected with COVID-19.

The exposure happened Saturday while Kemp was touring damage in Newnan from recent storms, according to a Monday statement from the governor’s office.

“Our office was notified of the individual testing positive today,” the statement said. “The governor tested negative this morning on a rapid-response antigen test.”

Kemp, who had to quarantine in October after being exposed, was vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson shot last week.

While Kemp was vaccinated the day before the Saturday exposure, it is still possible to be infected with the coronavirus — though the odds are much lower, McClatchy News reported. And in the case of Moderna and Pfizer’s vaccines, it can take up to two weeks for the body to get the full protection they offer.

It’s also possible the vaccines currently available aren’t as effective against new strains of the coronavirus, McClatchy reported.

Based on lab trials, some experts worry the Johnson & Johnson vaccine doesn’t offer as much protection as Pfizer or Moderna’s.

Georgia is behind most of the country in terms of vaccine doses administered, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported, in large part because many don’t want to get it.

As of last Wednesday, about 1.5 million vaccine doses were sitting unused in the state, and just 19% of Georgians had received at least one shot, the Ledger-Enquirer reported.

This story was originally published March 29, 2021 at 6:06 PM.