HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – Across the country, the supply of the life-saving COVID-19 vaccine remains scarce, while the demand for it remains high.
In addition to the high demand, the process of obtaining the vaccine has become conflicting, confusing and frustrating. Thousands of people remain on waiting lists or simply cannot find an appointment in South Carolina.
Many wonder why those living outside the state were able to get the vaccine against South Carolina residents.
Robyn Molloy, a retired teacher from New York, said the pandemic was devastating. The loved ones have been lost and their medical condition causes even more concern about what the virus can do.
But, as a 61-year-old lung cancer survivor, she and her husband are looking forward to getting the vaccine in South Carolina.
“I knew that everyone had their levels and you had to wait. What got me was when I realized they were making snowbirds, ”she said.
Currently, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said there are no residency requirements in place. It has been an issue for months, but the state has remained firm.
“There are no geographical restrictions,” explained Dr. Brannon Traxler, acting director of public health, in January. “We need the whole country and the whole world to be vaccinated to really stop the spread of this virus.”
Molloy fears that the lack of restrictions could mean that full-time or part-time residents in South Carolina may have to compete with someone simply by skipping the state border to get the injection and then return home.
This was a common problem initially reported in the state of Florida. Thousands went to Sunshine State, although they did not live there.
State Senator Luke Rankin, (R) – Horry County, said that what happened in Florida is far from what we see today in South Carolina.
“They have a very high rate there and, in fact, now require proof of residency before administering their vaccines, again in Florida,” said Rankin. “So far, all right here.”
But if the leap from state to vaccine becomes a problem, “then we must insist on residency as a requirement,” he said.
WMBF Investigates asked DHEC for the data – to show who exactly is receiving these doses.
On February 9, DHEC reported that 540,289 doses were administered to a South Carolina and 15,820 of those vaccines were for people in North Carolina, Georgia and other states. Almost 11,000 doses have not been reported.
At least 2.79% of the total number of doses administered went to a resident of another state.
Rankin said the general complaint he is hearing from constituents is that the vaccine is not available to more groups in the state of Palmetto, compared to others.
This week, South Carolina opened the door to eligibility for people 65 years of age or older – but it is a change that our neighboring states started weeks ago.
In North Carolina, people 65 and older have had access to the vaccine since mid-January.
Georgia has been offering the vaccine to this group for almost a month.
So you have states like New Jersey, where people between the ages of 16 and 64 with medical problems are already getting ready for a chance to get the injection.
But Molloy said that while she still has links to the New England area, the state said her residency requirements would prevent her from achieving it.
“But after I thought about it. It’s almost like being a hypocrite because I’m doing what snowbirds would do, or other people would do to come here, ”she said.
For some snow birds – those that live in the state during the winter months – being eligible to receive the vaccine in South Carolina has certainly caused a sigh of relief.
Bill Mealey and Jeanine Carazo have been on vacation in Surfside Beach for over a decade and were able to receive their first chance during their annual trip.
“If they told us that we couldn’t, we would have packed up and left; there’s no doubt in my mind, ”said Mealey. “I would have to go back to Pennsylvania and pick it up where I could.”
But it was made available to them, without questioning their residence when they received their first dose. It is something that Carazo says he is grateful for and it also makes sense.
“We mix with their population. Let’s go to the supermarket; we sneezed in line at a bank, even though we are socially distant, ”explained Carazo. “So it is up to them, because we are really part of the population, perhaps it will allow us to have the vaccine and, so far, I am very grateful that that was the decision.”
Border states have varying degrees of residence restrictions. A spokesman for the Georgia Department of Public Health told WMBF Investigates that “the vaccine allocated to Georgia is for residents of Georgia, with some limited exceptions”.
These exceptions include people who live in South Carolina but work in Georgia, snowbirds and those who reside in the state for a long time as caretakers for a relative.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services appears to be more open – telling us, “Federal law prohibits restricting access to the vaccine based on jurisdiction. Vaccines are a federal resource and, as we know, this virus does not recognize county or state divisions. All North Carolina residents will benefit from as many eligible people as possible getting the vaccine as soon as possible. “
Molloy said that although she feels a little guilty, she can accept North Carolina’s offer.
Rankin said he did not blame people for taking the road in search of a vaccine.
“To the person who is anxious, who is being told it will be March, April before they get an appointment – I don’t blame them. Buy where you can, ”he said.
The vaccine launch remains as different as each state, although the common unifying goal is to save lives against the COVID-19 pandemic.
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