While the COVID-19 vaccine is available for everyone and can be administered free of charge, many rural counties in Georgia lag behind the rest of the nation in vaccination rates – and that includes Chattooga County.

According to the latest numbers, the vaccination rate in Chattooga County is at 29.9% (As of July 1, 2021).  Numbers from the Georgia Department of Public Health indicate that less than 1% of the population of Chattooga County was infected with the virus as the month of July got underway.  Right now, Chattooga County is rated a “medium risk” when it comes to contracting the coronavirus.

One thing that does affect the vaccination rate in Chattooga County is the presence of a large prison population at Hays State Prison.  There are 1,683 prisoners housed at the facility, and those are counted in the total number of Chattooga County residents.  Logan Boss with the Northwest Georgia Department of Public Health tells WZQZ News, “Vaccinations at state correctional facilities like Hays are attributed to the county where the facility is located since that’s where the inmates currently reside. The information we get from the Georgia Department of Corrections, if any, is very spotty, but what we do get is added to the county immunization totals.”