Athens' COVID-19 vaccine incentive program gets more funding, area vaccination rate under 50%

Athens-Clarke County has approved the second round of funding for the COVID-19 vaccine incentive program.

After initially funding the program in August with $250,000, commissioners voted to allocate an additional $100,000 for the gift card program. This program would give $100 gift cards per dose to newly vaccinated individuals who live, work, or attend school in Athens-Clarke County. 

The program began Sept. 3 and nearly two weeks after it began, Dr. Stephen Goggans, the District Health Director for Athens’ Department of Health district, wrote a letter requesting the additional $100,000, which was approved by commissioners on Sept. 21. 

More:FAQ: Answering your most common questions about Athens' COVID-19 vaccine incentive program

The request for $100,000 would be split between $50,000 on the first dose and $50,000 for the second dose, as two of the three available COVID-19 vaccines require two doses for full vaccination. The funds come from the American Rescue Plan, which allocated nearly $60 million to Athens.

During the Sept. 21 meeting, commissioners asked for the program to be expanded to more health care providers in order to reach some of the underserved communities. 

As of Oct. 4, 48% of Clarke County residents had one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 44% were considered fully vaccinated, which lags behind the state rate of 54% of Georgia residents with one dose and 48% fully vaccinated.