Atlanta VA Health Care System

Local Brief

During this initial period of limited vaccine supply, the VA is offering the COVID-19 vaccine to Veterans who are at the greatest risk for infection and severe illness based on the CDC’s guidelines.  Those Veterans are being contacted directly to schedule an appointment.

The VA’s goal is to offer the vaccine to all Veterans and employees who choose to be vaccinated.  Your primary care team will contact you as soon as vaccines become available.

Vaccine for Veterans Information Update (click below to view video)

Atlanta VA Health Care System COVID-19 Vaccine Availability

Atlanta VA Health Care System holds drive-thru COVID vaccination clinic for Veterans 75 and older

Blairsville Community Based Outpatient Clinic Veterans age 75 and older receive COVID 19 vaccine on January 21

 

 

Atlanta VA COVID-19 Vaccine Site Locations 
(click the image for printable PDF)

Vaccine Site Resources 
(click the image for printable PDF)

#AtlantaVA2021TilTheMaskComesOff

   

Exciting news about Moderna's COVID-19 Vaccine

We are excited that our vaccination program is underway. Please stay tuned as we provide ongoing updates regarding the vaccine. 

Click the video below for more information.

Click below to view our Veterans Town Hall held on December 16, 2020

VA Plays Crucial Role in COVID-19 Treatment Study

WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) researchers and Veteran volunteers from the Atlanta and San Antonio VA medical centers were part of a recently published study that yielded crucial insights into COVID-19 treatment. 

The study published Dec. 11, 2020, by the New England Journal of Medicine, showed the drugs baricitinib and remdesivir combined were far better at improving and reducing recovery time of COVID-19 patients than treatment with remdesivir alone. 

“Safe and effective vaccines for COVID-19 are being rolled out in VA and other health care settings, but finding treatments remains crucial,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “VA researchers and all the Veterans who volunteer for studies are contributing to steady progress with regard to both vaccines and treatment options.” 

The combined use of baricitinib, an anti-inflammatory drug, and remdesivir, an antiviral drug, has already influenced clinical practice. On Nov. 19, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization of the treatment in certain hospitalized adults and children, based mainly on the trial results.  

The initial idea for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)-sponsored trial was advanced, in part, by a research team at the Atlanta VA Medical Center (VAMC). They had been studying baricitinib prior to the pandemic as a potential agent against other infectious diseases.

Among other studies on the drug, the Atlanta VA team reviewed the medical records of 15 patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 who had received daily doses of baricitinib in addition to other treatment. The addition of the drug was associated with recovery in 11 of the patients.

The results appeared June 2020 in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. The researchers interpreted the results cautiously, since the study was based on a small number of patients and was not a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Nonetheless, the results helped lay the groundwork for the large NIAID-sponsored study that followed.

Learn more about VA studies on COVID-19.   

The Atlanta VA Healthcare system has been selected for COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial

The Atlanta VA Healthcare System will begin a clinical trial for the single-dose investigational COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson soon. This is the fourth large-scale COVID-19 vaccine trial in the United States.

Veterans and Volunteers (men and non-pregnant women over 18) can enroll in the study at the Atlanta VA Healthcare System, with special focus on:

Black, Hispanic and Native American Veterans, Volunteers, 
Frontline Staff and Essential Workers 

The reason we’re asking minority Veterans to enroll is because the COVID-19 pandemic has affected members of these communities at much higher rates than the rest of the population, especially Black, Hispanic and Native American populations.

The more participants from these communities in the study, the better researchers will understand if the investigational vaccine is truly safe and effective for the people who need it most.

Q. Can I get COVID-19 from the investigational vaccine?

A. You cannot get COVID-19 from the investigational vaccine or the placebo used as part of the study. That’s because the investigational vaccine does not contain any live or killed virus. For more information about the Janssen clinical trials, including the investigational vaccine they’re testing, visit www.ensemblestudy.com.


Q. Will the investigational vaccine make me higher-risk for COVID-19?

A. The investigational vaccine will not increase your risk of COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), everyone is at risk for getting COVID-19 if they are exposed to the virus. However, some people are more likely to become more seriously ill than others, such as older adults and people with underlying health conditions. The investigational vaccine will not increase your risk of complications if you are diagnosed with COVID-19.


Q. How can I sign up for this study?

A. Anyone interested in participating in the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial at the Atlanta VA Healthcare system should sign up for VA’s coronavirus research volunteer list at www.va.gov/coronavirus-research.


Signing up for volunteer list does not guarantee enrollment into the trial. Volunteers will be contacted if they appear to meet a trial’s eligibility criteria or seem like a good match for another COVID-19 study at their local VA.

Veterans who live too far from the Atlanta VA Healthcare System but want to volunteer for other COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials in their area can register with the Coronavirus Prevention Network at www.coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org.

To learn more about other VA research efforts on COVID-19, visit https://www.research.va.gov/covid-19.cfm.
 

Using Telehealth to Care for our Veterans during COVID-19

Check out the video below demonstrating how we are using VA Video Connect to expand access to health care for our Veterans during COVID-19 and leading the way with the most VVC appointments of any VA facility.

Thank you for your understanding and patience as we navigate this challenging situation and make necessary adjustments.