Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia. AP Photo/John BazemoreGov. Brian Kemp criticized Biden for failing to work harder to get the FDA to approve COVID-19 vaccinations.To explain some of his hesitation, the governor referred to the vaccine emergency authorization.Kemp also criticized the CDC's recent guidance regarding mask-wearing among vaccinated persons.Check out more stories from Insider's business page.GOP Governor Brian Kemp, Georgia's governor, attempted to shift the blame to President Joe Biden Thursday for Georgia's low COVID-19 vaccine rate. The highly infectious Delta variant is still spreading according to The Associated Press.Kemp spoke to reporters and stated that Biden must push harder for the Food and Drug Administration to increase its emergency authorization for COVID-19 vaccines.Kemp, who was elected governor for the first time in 2018, stated that asking people to don masks again sends a mixed message and may cause people to not take the vaccine.He encouraged Georgians against COVID-19 vaccinations and stated that he would investigate other options if the hospitals became overcrowded.According to the Centers for Disease Control, only 38% of Georgia's population are fully vaccinated.Kemp stated that "we know that vaccines work." "I encourage everyone to get vaccinated, if they're comfortable doing so."Anesthesiologist and Democratic State Senator Michelle Au told The Associated Press that more needs to be done to make the vaccine available to all residents.Au stated to the news agency, "We aren’t trying hard enough." "We like to blame those who aren't vaccinated."Continue reading: Kyrsten Sinema sent an email to potential staffers warning them that they 'aren’t working for Elizabeth Warren.Georgia had over 4,800 positive COVID-19 test results on Thursday. This is a record that was set back in February when the vaccine wasn’t widely available.Continue the storyThe number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Georgia rose to over 1,800 due to the spread of the Delta variant, which is similar to the US.In southeast Georgia, the COVID-19 infection rate has remained high.Hampton Raulerson, Charlton County Administrator, told The Brunswick News that there has been little interest in vaccines.He said, "There is a lot distrust when it involves the vaccine." "Many people believed (COVID-19 was going away).Kemp stated that people are reluctantly taking the vaccine, as it is still not fully approved by FDA.He said that he would love for the Biden administration to "Operation Warp Speed" to remove the emergency use authorization. This was referring to Trump's public-private vaccine-development initiative, which produced and distributed COVID-19 vaccinations.The FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation director Dr. Peter Marks told The Washington Post that Friday's announcement by the FDA meant that staff would be redeploying to help accelerate the FDA's approval of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.Marks stated that "this will remove one layer for the vaccine-reluctant." "If this is all it does, it will get five to ten million more people vaccinated down south, that would save lives."This week, the CDC changed their guidelines regarding mask-wearing. They now recommend that vaccinated persons indoors in high-risk areas have face covers.Kemp and other Republicans opposed the request for schools to wear masks.Kemp stated that the CDC's guidance was not encouraging confidence."When you tell people they can get vaccinated, then they take off their mask and then you reverse it weeks later, who is gonna trust anyone, Republican or Democrat? He said.Business Insider has the original article.
