All South Carolina residents aged 16 and over are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, an expansion that took effect on Wednesday.
Phase 1C, the final phased approach planned before the opening of eligibility for older teenagers and all adults, was initially designed to begin on April 12 and included adults aged 45 and over and the remaining essential workers. The state skipped this step to allow anyone eligible for a vaccine to obtain it.
Currently, Pfizer is the only vaccine available for people aged 16 to 18 years. All three – Pfizer, Moderna and J & J / Janssen – are available for ages 18 and over. There are no vaccines approved so far for teenagers and children under the age of 16, but an initial study showed promising results in teenagers taking the Pfizer vaccine.
Prisma Health officials, who administered 196,975 vaccines by March 29, said they are ready to implement additional staff or changes in the procedure to meet the rest of the state’s demand to become eligible.
One of the main changes for this expanded phase is that 16- and 17-year-olds must follow a different process for registering the vaccine through the myChart portal, said Dr. Saria Saccocio, outpatient medical director at Prisma Health and co-chair of the force – system vaccine task COVID-19. They cannot register directly through myChart because they are considered minors by the system, but they must call the Prisma Health COVID-19 hotline at 1-833-2-PRISMA or the Prisma Health doctor for a link to activation for myChart. Once the link is received, they will be able to register for the vaccine under South Carolina law.
Check the availability of real-time appointments at Prisma Health at www.PrismaHealth.org/Vaccine. Same-day appointments are available on the vaccination website of the Sumter County Civic Center at Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital. Community members can also use the interactive state map at https://vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov to find additional vaccination locations.
As more Southern Carolinians are becoming eligible and receiving the vaccine, state lawmakers are considering a proposal to prevent employers from compelling their workers to obtain it. A resolution passed by the Senate Medical Affairs committee on Wednesday states that employers cannot punish or fire employees who are not shot, the Associated Press reported. However, they can still impose quarantine on workers if exposed to COVID-19 and offer incentives for people who get the vaccine.
Some exceptions are included for hospitals and those who work with people vulnerable to the virus.
The proposal now goes to vote in the Senate. Senators have already passed another bill to avoid lawsuits against companies and others by people who hire COVID-19, as long as federal and state health guidelines are being followed, the AP reported. About 1.3 million people in South Carolina received at least one injection and 16.7% of the state was fully vaccinated.