The price of Georgia’s low vaccination rate

Illustration by Brittney Phan

Key Points
  • Only 54% of Georgians are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
  • The high proportion of unvaccinated Georgians has resulted in preventable hospitalizations that cost upwards of $460 million so far.
  • These direct costs and far larger indirect costs will be felt across society by taxpayers and insured patients.
COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the Peach State is among the lowest in the country, with just 54% of Georgians having received two doses, and less than 1 in 5 having received a booster. The impact is shown in the cost of the unvaccinated becoming hospitalized: nearly half a billion dollars in preventable hospitalization costs alone since June. The full bill still hasn’t come due and it is sure to be larger, especially if vaccination rates remain low.  According to CDC data this ...