DHEC recommends that even if you have COVID antibodies, you should still socially distance and mask up. Scientists don’t know how protective those antibodies are yet.
After scheduling an appointment, Phase 1A homebound individuals will have a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse visit their home and administer the shot.
Dr. Linda bell says DHEC isn’t looking at the percentage of people who received the vaccine already but rather the amount of demand that remains for the vaccine from those in Phase 1A.
DHEC does not have a residency requirement for vaccine administration and in a call with journalists on Wednesday, State Epidemiologist Linda Bell said she was not aware of any plans to institute one.
DHEC is in the process of re-evaluating its distribution of vaccines within the state to make doses more readily available to rural and minority communities.
Dr. Albrecht says the younger you are, the stronger your immune system, which means you’re more likely to experience symptoms, like soreness, fatigue, chills headaches and fevers.
The Columbia VA Healthcare System partnered with the University of South Carolina to pull the large-scale vaccination clinic together in just one week.
A woman says the supply of the vaccine needs to be increased, and people who are truly at risk of death need to be vaccinated, not just people who are at risk of being exposed.
The new, daily COVID-19 case numbers reported by the Department of Health and Environmental Control in the second week of February are about four times lower than some of the data reported in January.
Thousands of vaccine-eligible South Carolina residents don’t have a license and others can’t get themselves to vaccine appointments, so now some are asking the state for help.
On Thursday, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s board heard a plan that would dramatically shift the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine doses throughout the state.
Vaccine providers are allowed to give doses to people who are outside of the phase eligibility, but only as a last resort, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
A bill lawmakers and hospitals hope will help improve the vaccine roll out in South Carolina, in particular in rural communities, has passed the South Carolina Senate and is now heading back to the House.
The leading doctor in South Carolina’s fight against COVID-19 said she knows that the vaccine distribution process has been frustrating for many people who are waiting to see if they will be next in line.
MUSC officials said they had to reschedule 8,000 appointments, pushing them back to later this week. MUSC’s chief quality officer said they received about 3,000 doses Monday, which was only enough to cover the Monday schedule.
With a shortage of COVID-19 vaccine doses and reported challenges with bureaucracy, getting an appointment for a vaccine is no sure thing for those ages 65 and older.
People ages 65 to 69 can now request an appointment, and some rural clinic leaders say they’ve had to change tactics to meet demand even before the new group arrived.
On Monday, officials with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control stressed the importance of vaccinating those over 65 years old, saying that it was a conversation between Governor Henry McMaster’s office and DHEC about moving this group from Phase 1C to 1A.
When the third of the vaccine rollout begins, people with “underlying health conditions,” including smoking, will be eligible to receive the COVID vaccine.
On Thursday, McMaster said 37 school districts have a plan in place while 19 have only begun talks with local health care providers and 25 districts have no plan at all.
Mike Neff said his 35-year-old son, Carson, has Down Syndrome and has had two kidney replacements. The CDC lists both as aggravating medical conditions for the disease.
The concerns come after Governor Henry McMaster announced that beginning on Monday, Feb. 9 all South Carolinians over 65-years-old will be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
The candidate for the post, Dr. Edward Simmer, received a unanimous vote to send his appointment to lead DHEC out of the Senate Medical Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
State health officials have said South Carolina will see a 16% increase in its weekly shipment of first vaccine doses from the federal government beginning this week.