While thousands of South Carolinians newly qualified for the coronavirus vaccine struggle to get an appointment, a Charleston church and pharmacy have found a way to immunize members of their East Side community directly.
They were regular attendees and people who had never seen the interior of Ebenezer AME Chruch’s educational building before, neighbors on Nassau Street and residents of suburbs crossing rivers arrive at the event. But they expected, at the end of the day, to have one thing in common: a Johnson & Johnson vaccine in their arms.
In a three-hour race on March 13, Ebenezer AME and Focus: Meds Pharmacy & Wellness hoped to vaccinate as many people as possible, said Rev. William Swinton Jr. As part of the strategy, they decided to make the event a first to arrive, first served, avoiding the online registration process that confused many Southern Carolians in Phase 1B.
Hundreds of people wait in line to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine during a pop-up event at the Ebenezer AME Church on Saturday, March 13, 2021. Lauren Petracca / Staff
From broadcasting church services online to getting a vaccine, Swinton said he is trying to set an example for his community.
“There is a lot of skepticism in the African American community and other minority communities about the COVID vaccine that relates to abuses that have been committed against these populations in the past,” said Dr. Lloyd Hepburn of Roper St. Francis Healthcare in January . “The African American community has been more affected than any other group (so) not wanting to get this life-saving vaccine is truly, truly tragic.”
Data from the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that blacks are responsible for 26 percent of COVID-19 cases in South Carolina and 32 percent of coronavirus-related deaths, but account for only 15 percent of state vaccinations. And areas without stable public transport and a good Internet connection make it more difficult for residents to access vaccination information and websites.
Then, when Swinton looked at the crowd and realized that he couldn’t see the end of the line through the side door of his church, the pain of knowing that he would have to send someone away came with a certain amount of joy. Congregations, neighbors and social networks spread the word even better than he expected.
Bernard Dais is seated while waiting with hundreds of others in line to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine during a pop-up event at the Ebenezer AME Church on Saturday, March 13, 2021. “It will be worth the wait,” said Dais, who has been waiting for several hours. Lauren Petracca / Staff
The crowd stretched from the church on 44 Nassau Street to Columbus Street, filled with people holding umbrellas to protect their neighbors and set up folding chairs for them.
In the middle of the afternoon, Swinton was not sure how many people would have to go home without being shot. Open from 3 pm to 6 pm, event planners expected only a few hundred participants. He hoped the church could hold another event, in partnership with state or city officials who need space in the neighborhood.
If possible, he would like to ensure that the people who waited so long for the shots on March 13 were the first in line next time. But whatever the logistics, Swinton has promised that he will continue to work until everyone who needs the vaccine has an injection.
A cyclist passes Nassau Street while hundreds of people wait in line to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine during a pop-up event at Ebenezer AME Church on Saturday, March 13, 2021. Lauren Petracca / Staff
Talk to Sara Coello at 843-901-2995 and follow her on Twitter @smlcoello.