AIKEN, SC (WRDW / WAGT) – Both Georgia and South Carolina had trouble launching the COVID-19 vaccine. A lot of this has to do with not having enough doses with such high demand.
But South Carolina lawmakers are saying it is enough and are making decisions on their own.
Parks Pharmacy in North Augusta is preparing this area for its vaccine clinic. But they are dealing with the same problem that apparently everyone else – they don’t know when they are going to get the vaccine.
“There are a lot of steps and gaps that we felt were perhaps not clear to begin with,” said Laura Knotts, from the pharmacy.
Contracts, forms, enrollment, activation – still no vaccine or supplies. Everyone will come from the state.
Knotts is a pharmacist at Parks Pharmacy, a small family store with customers.
“It looks like any other call,” Knotts said of the demand.
Customers are trying to figure out how to get vaccinated.
“A large part of the elderly population, for example, cannot manipulate the system to know how to register,” said Knotts. “They call us and ask us to help them with that.”
“I sent an email, and everything, and I still haven’t received any response to my calls,” said Garlan Harper, a resident of North Augusta.
Harper said he was on hold with DHEC for more than an hour to make an appointment. He now plans to get his vaccine at Parks.
“I get all my vaccines here and everything, so I trust these people,” said Harper.
State lawmakers are looking for new ways to solve the problems. A vaccine review committee will meet later this week, and local representative Bill Hixon is participating. Frankly, said Hixon, DHEC was not prepared, but the state plans to do better.
On the Georgian side, vaccine shipments to our local hospitals are also in limbo. Health officials are ready to act quickly when the state resolves things, as some call for communication to improve in all areas.
The state vaccine review committee is due to meet for the first time on Thursday. Parks Pharmacy says it expects these problems to be resolved because they have a queue of people ready to be vaccinated.
Hixon told us that he would be interested in hiring the National Guard to help distribute the vaccine.
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