Hit hard by COVID early, Albany gets mass vaccination site

ALBANY, Ga. (AP) — At one point early in the pandemic, Albany, Georgia was outpacing all but three cities across United States for coronavirus infections per capita. Now, the south Georgia city is home to one of four state-supported mass vaccination sites.

Many people in Albany were touched by coronavirus early on, but the city has made major strides since March’s tragedies. Thousands of people will be able to receive vaccinations in Albany’s Dougherty County starting Monday, Feb. 22, when the state’s four sites will open.

Christopher Cohilas, Chairman of Dougherty County Board of Commissioners, said the pummeling Albany took early on actually prepared the city to be ahead in the next phases of the virus. In the early spring, while other areas were just starting to identify initial cases, Albany was full steam ahead with a full panel of containment and treatment efforts.

“We had to sharpen our sword a lot faster, and a lot sharper than a lot of other folks did. And so sometimes through adversity, you build really strong partnerships,” he said.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/hit-hard-by-covid-early-albany-gets-mass-vaccination-site/ar-BB1e5E2p?li=BBnb7Kz