As our readers may remember, Senator from the state of South Carolina Dick Harpootlian did not shy away from criticizing the executive president of Palmetto State – Henry McMaster – when it comes to the incorrect treatment of the last of the coronavirus pandemic.
This week, Harpootlian stepped up his attacks – calling on McMaster to follow best practices from other states in an effort to improve South Carolina winery Covid-19 vaccination ratings.
As we reported last week, South Carolina has consistently ranked at the bottom or nearly the bottom in the country in terms of vaccine allocation and distribution – raising questions about McMaster’s much-praised proximity to the administration of the US president that is leaving Donald Trump, who oversaw the distribution process.
“There is a growing chorus of people in their 60s, (who) have underlying medical conditions or care for immunocompromised relatives who need to be vaccinated as soon as possible,” wrote Harpootlian in a letter addressed to his constituents on Monday .
According to Harpootlian, schedules released by the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) – which is managing South Carolina’s response to the virus – reveal that many residents of the state of Palmetto over 65 “are not eligible until early spring to receive the vaccine. “
“This is unscrupulous,” said Harpootlian.
“I strongly disagree with Governor McMaster’s response to the coronavirus pandemic since it hit South Carolina in March 2020,” continued Harpootlian. “Our governor has failed to follow the recommendations of scientists and medical experts – from allowing overdiffusion events, to not suggesting the use of a mask in public and overseeing the launch of an ineffective vaccine that puts South Carolina near the bottom of the fifty states. “
Is the Harpootlian correct? yea … And while we don’t endorse the kind of draconian blockade that many Democrats continue to embrace, McMaster clearly hampered the state’s response to Covid-19 each turn (and seemed like a hypocrite in the process).
Not surprisingly, McMaster’s political position has weakened as a result of his uneven response.
Rather than just complaining, however, Harpootlian is pressing McMaster to adopt specific policy changes that he believes would improve the position of the state of Palmetto.
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For example, he wants South Carolina to adopt a practice used by West Virginia officials that involved recruiting local pharmacies and chain stores to administer vaccines, which, he said, “enabled a faster and more efficient process than almost any other state “.
Yes it is, You just heard a Democratic state senator challenge a Republican governor to do a better job of engaging the private sector in responding to an ongoing public health emergency.
Is Harpootlian right about that too? Yes …
According to the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Mountain State leads the country with 7,489 doses administered by 100,000 citizens – well above the rate of 2,366 doses per 100,000 citizens (which ranks No. 48 nationally).
Harpootlian also wants McMaster to open the vaccination process even further – which shouldn’t be a problem if state and federal officials are correct in their insistence that vaccine supply chain problems are only temporary.
“Many states have opened their vaccines to sixty or sixty-five (and older) and immunocompromised people,” wrote Harpootlian. “I ask you, why can’t South Carolina do these things to protect our people?”
McMaster spent Monday visiting the Lexington Medical Center (LMC) in West Columbia, SC, hoping to observe the vaccination process. During a press conference after his visit, McMaster defended the way his government dealt with the distribution of the vaccine.
“We are using all the resources we have to see whether these vaccines – how many they give us – are being placed in the arms of the Southern Carolinians,” said McMaster.
However, he later acknowledged that the delay in delivery – which he attributed to hospitals “reluctant to dedicate personnel” – needs to be improved.
“We have to accelerate and we will accelerate,” said McMaster.
-FITSNews
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