Mayor Bottoms Asks Biden For More COVID-19 Vaccines For Atlanta

ATLANTA — Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is petitioning the White House to have more doses of the coronavirus vaccines sent directly to the city as it continues to be one of the hardest hit areas of the state by the pandemic.

Bottoms said in a virtual meeting sponsored by the Rotary Club of Atlanta on Monday that she is among several mayors to ask President Joe Biden to provide more doses of the vaccines. They mayor said that she has not heard from the White House about her request but that she remains encouraged by the work being done by the Biden administration in increasing doses of the vaccines to hard-hit areas.

While the state is approaching 1 million does of the vaccines that have been administered, Bottoms said that she is continuing to press more even more of the vaccines to be sent and more specifically, for them to be sent to Atlanta health officials.

“We know we can’t be too comfortable,” Bottoms said Monday. “...We know we have to keep our guard up.”

Bottoms and other mayors of large cities sent a letter to Biden last month stating that cities – not state health departments – were the best positioned to get vaccines into the arms of those who need it most. The Biden administration has said it is attempting to get 100 million people vaccinated over the first 100 days Biden is in office.

In the letter, mayors from largely populated cities including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and others told Biden that they have the “ability and expertise” to build local relationships. Bottoms said Monday that while she has not been vaccinated, her mother has told her that she is now 70 percent protected against the coronavirus.

Bottoms said during the meeting Monday that if the doses were sent to the city, officials would work with the Morehouse School of Medicine and other groups to get more city residents vaccinated.

“Nobody knows our community better than we do,” Bottoms said. “Unlike some other cities, we don’t control our public health department. We are asking for a vaccine allotment directly.”

While the state has reopened for business as the pandemic continues, Atlanta remains in Phase 1 of its reopening plan. According to state health officials, more than 923,000 people have been vaccinated.