COLOMBIA – Anyone aged 65 or over in the state who wants the COVID-19 vaccination will be able to make an appointment starting on Monday.
This includes anyone who meets the age requirement, regardless of pre-existing conditions, the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control said on Wednesday.
The DHEC online tool at scdhec.gov/vaxlocator shows locations that currently accept nominations for the COVID-19 vaccine. The locator also provides contact information for scheduling appointments at these locations.
Those without access to the Internet can call the DHEC vaccination line at (866) 365-8110, from 7 am to 7 pm, daily, for help with scheduling appointments.
“Many in South Carolina do not have access to the Internet, so offering a dedicated vaccine hotline to help them locate contact information for vaccine providers is essential,” said Nick Davidson, public health deputy at DHEC.
“This new line helps DHEC to offer better customer service, which tracks people’s demand for vaccines and information about them”
Vaccination sites
As of Friday, five vaccination sites in Lancaster County were listed on the DHEC locator. They included Walgreens at SC 9 Bypass West, MUSC Health-Lancaster Medical Center; Mackey Family Practice on West Meeting Street, the Lancaster County Health Department at 1228 Colonial Commons Court and the pharmacy inside Harris Teeter supermarket at 6271 Carolina Commons Drive in Indian Land.
When it comes to the availability of the vaccine for people aged 65 and over, DHEC said that “the change is possible due to an increase in the doses of the vaccine provided to the state”.
However, a state public health official said that this does not mean that there is an excess of COVID-19 vaccine in South Carolina. As of this week, the state is expected to receive 76,000 doses of the COVID vaccine per week, up from 63,000 before.
“Vaccine availability is limited in South Carolina, as in all states,” said Dr. Michael Kacka, DHEC’s medical director for COVID-19, during a statewide press conference on Wednesday.
Governor Henry McMaster announced on Monday that he would like to see state health officials offering COVID-19 vaccines to everyone 65 and older as soon as possible.
Kacka noted that 87% of COVID deaths in South Carolina occurred among people aged 65 and over. The average age of people in the state to die from coronavirus is 75.
DHEC, Kacka said, should ensure that those most at risk of illness and death are vaccinated first.
DHEC said there are 309,000 people in South Carolina between the ages of 65 and 69, meaning that it will take more than four weeks of vaccine supply to give everyone in the age group a vaccination.
Latest numbers
On Friday, DHEC reported 2,745 new confirmed infections and 54 deaths in the state. This includes an additional 82 cases in Lancaster County.
The agency is now reporting more than 408,787 infections and 6,770 confirmed deaths in the state since the pandemic began.
As of Friday, there were 927 active infections in Lancaster County. Active cases are those within two weeks of diagnosis.
There were 524 active cases in the Lancaster CEP, 213 in Indian Land, 92 cases in Kershaw and 67 in Heath Springs. The zip code location of 31 county cases is unknown.
Just over 11% of the COVID-19 tests that DHEC reported on Friday were positive.
The agency also reported 1,637 hospitalizations for COVID-19 across the state of Firday, with 368 of them in intensive care units and 232 in ventilators. More than 81% of the state’s hospital beds were occupied.
COVID relief
The US House and Senate on Friday approved a budget plan that begins the process of turning President Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan into legislation. Voting in both chambers of Congress was interrupted along party lines.
The Senate vote was 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tiebreaker vote. The Chamber approved the measure shortly afterwards by a margin of 219-209.
The stimulus package, which can get final congressional approval in a few weeks, includes checks of up to $ 1,400 for low- and moderate-income families and extends unemployment benefits. It also provides $ 160 billion to reinforce the public health response to the pandemic, as well as improving the distribution of vaccines and increasing testing measures.
New vaccine
On Thursday, Johnson & Johnson applied for emergency clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its COVID-19 vaccine. The drugmaker released data in late January showing that its vaccine was about 66% effective in protecting against conronavirus.
If the Johnson & Johnson order is approved, it would be the third COVID-19 vaccine authorized for emergency use in the country, behind only Pfizer and Moderna.
While Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses to be administered three to four weeks apart, Johnson & Johnson is a single dose. It also does not need to be transported or stored in an ultra-cold climate like the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and can be transported at a temperature between 36-46 degrees.
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