03/15/2021 —Doraville, Georgia — Nurse Ashley Tolisano prepares a vile with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at a DeKalb Board of Health COVID-19 vaccination site located at the Doraville MARTA transit station in Doraville, Monday, March 15, 2021. (Alyssa Pointer / [email protected])
By Zachary Hansen
DeKalb County is providing more ways for vulnerable communities — immigrants, the uninsured and the elderly — to get a COVID-19 vaccination.
The DeKalb Board of Health announced Monday it’s expanding its partnership with Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE), a nonprofit that vaccinates hard-to-reach groups. The county and CORE will work with smaller faith-based groups and community partners to offer vaccinations.
“We welcome CORE’s assistance with our COVID-19 vaccination efforts here in DeKalb County,” Dr. Sandra J. Valenciano, the board of health’s interim district health director, said in a news release. “To bring COVID-19 under control, access to vaccine is critical, especially in our medically vulnerable communities.”
Previously, DeKalb and CORE partnered to vaccinate immigrants and refugees in Clarkston and nearby neighborhoods. CORE is also working with Doraville, Dunwoody and several other nonprofits to vaccinate non-English speaking groups along the Buford Highway corridor.
As part of the DeKalb partnership, CORE will offer the Pfizer vaccine, which is taken in two doses. Pre-registration is required, and the second dose can be administered no sooner than three weeks after the first dose.
Vaccinations are free. Patients are encouraged to provide identification and insurance information, but CORE said those are not required. Five locations are currently offered, according to the registration form. For more information or to register, visit coregeorgia.org/dekalbcounty.
The county also operates two vaccination sites, which also requires pre-registration. Visit dekalbhealth.net for more detail.
Read the original story on AJC.com.
