Who’s getting vaccinated in Muscogee County? Here’s a breakdown of recent trends
Muscogee County’s COVID-19 case rate has been climbing since July, likely due in large part to the spread of the delta variant. However, the percentage of fully vaccinated residents increased from 30% to 32% in the same time period, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Local advocates and public health officials have been working to provide residents with accurate information in an effort to combat vaccine hesitancy. Black residents in Muscogee County make up about 48% of the population, according to the United States Census Bureau, but only 32.5% of them have received a dose of the vaccine.
There has been a lot of vaccine skepticism in Georgia’s Black and Hispanic communities, said Wane Hailes, president of NAACP Columbus. But the delta variant has motivated parents to get their children over the age of 12 vaccinated.
NAACP Columbus’ health committee, chaired by Tree of Life founder Lowell Cliatt, has been working to get accurate information about the vaccines and COVID-19 to residents, Hailes said.
“Look, I’ve had (COVID-19), and I didn’t have it as bad as some people,” he said. “It’s better to have (the vaccine) and not need it than to need it and not have.”
Residents can visit the West Central Health District website to find more information on how to get vaccinated.
Here’s a breakdown of the latest vaccination trends.
Muscogee County vaccination rates
Although the number of fully vaccinated residents in Muscogee County has most recently hovered around 32%, the percentage of residents who have received at least one dose of the vaccine has increased at a slightly higher rate from 34% on July 1 to 38% on Aug. 12, according to data from DPH.
In the last seven days, 1,449 vaccines have been administered in Muscogee County; 73,715 residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 68,412 residents are now fully vaccinated.
The majority of those who have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine are women, accounting for 56.6%, while men make up 42%. The remaining percentage is of unknown gender.
Muscogee County residents between the ages of 55 and 64 make up the largest age group to have received at least one dose of the vaccine, with 13,874 (18.8%) people. Residents between the ages of 65 and 74 are not far behind, with 13,366 (18.1%) receiving at least a dose of the vaccine.
White residents make up 41.5% (30,615 people) to have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Black residents account for 39.7% (29,278 people). Asian residents are the most vaccinated group, with 58.2% of the Asian population having gotten vaccinated. Native American residents are the least vaccinated group, with 30.5% of their population having received at least one dose of the vaccine.
32.5% of Black residents have been vaccinated and 35.4% of white residents have been vaccinated; 23% of Hispanic residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Demographic breakdowns of those who have been fully vaccinated has not been made available by DPH.
Overall, 73,715 residents in Muscogee County have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 63,412 residents are fully vaccinated.
Georgia vaccination rates
Statewide, 48% of Georgia residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 41% are fully vaccinated. Almost 5 million residents have received one dose, and 4.2 million are fully vaccinated, as of Thursday.
On July 1, 43.3% of residents had received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 38.6% were fully vaccinated.
Of those Georgia residents who received at least one dose, women make up the largest percentage with 53.8% of the group having been vaccinated. Men account for 44.6%, with the rest unknown.
The largest age group in Georgia to have been vaccinated are those between the ages of 55 and 64, accounting for 17.9%. Residents between the ages of 45 and 54 are the second largest group at 16.3%.
Of those who are have received at least one dose, the majority (51.7%) are white and the second-highest group (25%) is Black.
Statewide, Asian residents have the highest percentage of people vaccinated at 78.4%. Black residents represent the group with the lowest percentage of people vaccinated with 38.3%.
This story was originally published August 13, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
