COLOMBIA, SC (AP) – Most people living in South Carolina will be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine starting next week, state officials announced on Tuesday.
The state will move to Phase 1B of its vaccine plan as of Monday, Governor Henry McMaster told a news conference. Teachers, grocery workers and people with certain medical conditions can apply for vaccination appointments.
Authorities estimate that 2.7 million people will be eligible for the vaccine in the state, with a population of about 5 million.
People aged 55 and over and those at increased risk for severe COVID-19 will be eligible, including people with certain developmental disabilities and individuals with medical conditions, such as heart disease or sickle cell anemia.
Frontline employees who work personally who put them at the greatest risk of exposure to other people will also be eligible. These workers include daycare and supermarket workers, manufacturing workers and police.
People who meet the age requirement can show vaccine providers an identification card, said the director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Dr. Edward Simmer. Otherwise, providers will have to rely on the honesty of Southern Carolinians, who certify that they meet one of the other qualifications.
The last priority phase, 1C, is expected to start in mid-April. This includes people aged 45 and over and essential workers. Officials estimate that Phase 2, which includes all people aged 16 and over who have not yet been vaccinated, begins in May.
“Please don’t jump ahead,” said Simmer.
More than 600,000 people in the state have already received at least the first dose of the vaccine. The vast majority of them belong to Phase 1A of the state’s vaccine plan, which includes healthcare professionals, residents and employees in long-term care facilities and people aged 65 and over.
Simmer said the state is ready to receive more vaccines because of an increase in the supply of vaccines, as well as the progress being made in the current eligible population.
The state will receive more than 40,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson’s newly approved single-dose vaccine this week. The vaccine, which also has less stringent storage requirements than the Moderna and Pfizer options, will not be targeted at any particular population, Simmer said.
Still, the health department will look at the distribution of Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses to smaller providers in underserved areas, with no storage capacity for the other vaccines, he added. The new vaccine can also be used in mass vaccination clinics, where it is more difficult for people to receive a second dose.
Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman said school districts should start contacting vaccine providers immediately to schedule specific teacher clinics, which will allow teachers to be vaccinated more quickly.
McMaster and Spearman put pressure on school districts on Tuesday to open five days a week for personal learning, given the eligibility of the new vaccine. McMaster asked state lawmakers to come up with a bill that would require districts to give that option to parents.
“There are no more excuses or excuses for all of our schools not to be open for face-to-face classes five days a week,” said McMaster.
The announcement comes months after groups of teachers began pushing for priority status in the state’s vaccination plan, saying that quarantined and sick leave teachers were exacerbating long-term staff shortages and making classroom teaching difficult.
The Palmetto State Teachers Association noted that McMaster could have prioritized educators without delaying vaccines for the elderly. “Instead, today’s action means that many teachers will not be able to guarantee a vaccine appointment for weeks or months,” the group said in a statement.
Lawmakers began working on resolutions to prioritize teachers and demand that schools open their doors, although these proposals were paralyzed by a House committee after many other groups of workers essential to lawmakers in an audience. Other lawmakers said the move to improve teachers could pit them against the elderly who are still struggling for access to the vaccine.
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Liu is a member of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a national nonprofit service program that puts journalists in local newsrooms to report on covert issues.