FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 6, 20201
Nearly 70,000 Phase 1a health workers scheduled to receive COVID-19 vaccines
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COLOMBIA, SC – The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) announced today that 69,959 Phase 1a health workers in the state are scheduled to receive vaccination against COVID-19.
“We recognize the urgent need to vaccinate as many people as possible in our state to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our communities,” said Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC’s Acting Director of Public Health. “To support this effort, hospitals must vaccinate any southern Carolinians who qualify in any Phase 1a category, which covers our healthcare professionals.”
To date, South Carolina has received 146,250 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. That includes 34,125 doses received this week. 52,163 health professionals in Phase 1a currently received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 1,107 have already received their second dose.
The CDC guidance originally provided a goal to vaccinate 70 percent of Phase 1a individuals before moving on to Phase 1b. Last weekend, this orientation has evolved to now suggest several variables to be taken into account during the transition, with a comprehensive supply theme exceeding demand.
To speed up the number of Southern Carolinians being vaccinated, Phase 1a individuals or their employers must have contacted a provider to schedule an appointment by January 15, 2021, the deadline for ensuring vaccine priority. DHEC will assess demand by January 15, 2021 to determine whether providers should request that they proceed with scheduling for the next phase of vaccinations.
“Our partner hospitals have made great strides in vaccination for Phase 1a individuals and are essential to obtain vaccination for all who wish to be immunized, especially due to the ultra-cold logistics of the Pfizer vaccine.” Traxler said.
South Carolina employers with Phase 1a workers are encouraged to contact their local hospitals as soon as possible and no later than January 15, 2021, with a list of employees who wish to be vaccinated. In addition, individuals in Phase 1a who wish to be vaccinated should contact their local or nearest hospital to request an appointment by January 15, 2021. Hospital contact information is available at scdhec.gov/vaxfacts.
“While we are working to increase vaccination operations across the state, it is important to understand that the number of doses is currently limited in South Carolina, as in all states.” Dr. Traxler said. “Southern Carolinians eligible for Phase 1a include hundreds of thousands of individuals, which is much higher than the current doses of the vaccine we have. We continue to ask people to be as patient as possible while you work to schedule your appointment to be vaccinated. ”
Individuals who make an appointment may need to provide credentials to verify that they are eligible to receive the vaccination according to Phase 1a. This includes providing some proof (for example, badge, card, license, personalized letter from the employer, photo of the license) of Phase 1a qualification when applying for vaccination.
South Carolina receives vaccines weekly. Appointments are subject to cancellation based on vaccines received from the federal government.
Progressing from the initial phase to widespread availability in the summer
As the vaccine supply increases, vaccination recommendations will expand to include more groups. This is subject to change at any time for a variety of reasons, such as a change in federal guidance or the VAC recommendations for South Carolina.
- Phase 1a (currently in progress)– Phase 1a vaccinations are expected to continue until February 2021. Phase 1a includes:
- Residents and employees of long-term institutions;
- Health personnel, with an initial focus on health workers essential to the mission of preventing death. For a complete list of those currently considered in Phase 1a, Click here.
- Phase 1b (end of winter 2021):
- Everyone aged 75 and over
- Essential frontline workers (sectors included by ACIP: firefighters, police, prison officers, food and agricultural workers, USPS workers, manufacturing workers, grocery workers, public transport workers and those working in the education sector – teachers , support staff and childcare)
- Phase 1c (early spring 2021):
- All persons aged 65 to 74 years and older
- People aged 16 to 64 with certain underlying health conditions that put them at high risk for serious illness(list by CDC)
- Other essential workers (examples included by ACIP: people working in transport and logistics, food services, housing construction and finance, information technology, communications, energy, law, media, public safety and non-professional public health staff frontline health)
- Phase 2 (late spring-autumn 2021)
- ALL people who want to be vaccinated
- Ages recommended by ACIP
Phase 2 of vaccinations is expected to begin in late spring 2021, with vaccines expected to become available to the general public during the summer and autumn of 2021.
For the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines, visit scdhec.gov/vaxfacts.