COLOMBIA (WOLO): In January, the CDC ranked South Carolina as one of the slowest states for vaccine use. AN The new national report released on Monday now ranks Palmetto state as the 5th in the country.
“We had that bad reputation because we weren’t doing it fast enough. I think South Carolina medical professionals were trying to find a way. “
Michelle Knight, a resident of Columbia, believes they have found a way to get to Gamecock Park. she took his 71-year-old mother to the mass vaccination site last week after scheduling an appointment online. “We went at 9.50 am. The process was so smooth. We took your photo and parked for 15 minutes and at 10:29 we left. She got her first vaccine, ”said Knight.
The site currently accounts for 1700 to 2300 vaccinations a day. Amy Kennedy, manager of Health Systems Engineering told ABC Columbia, “we mobilized a team in a matter of days. We use a lot of knowledge from our drive-thru testing site. So this team has been an incredible part of the success here. ”
80 percent of vaccinations at the site are walk-ins. Kennedy says this remains the biggest challenge. “With the supply of vaccine, wand sometimes we don’t know until Sunday or Monday what we’re going to get on Tuesday, so it can be a challenge. Only about 20% of the patients we see here have appointments that day. We are serving mainly the population that has not been able to discover the VAMS system. “
The Clinical Director of Prisma Health Midlands, Dr. Rick Scott said: “iIt is not efficient to have a team of people walking around with laptops that need to be returned to the charger every two hours, in an area that previously did not have wi-fi, but now has, just so that we can serve these people. We continually re-evaluate our sites and whether there are better options. But now, we are immensely grateful to USC for providing us with this space, for allowing us to make it what it is, and for sending us volunteers to help the team. ”
And with each small shot, hope reaches the thousands of South Carolinians affected by COVID-19.
Kennedy said: “It is worth every second that I am here just for one more vaccine to be administered. “
“One of the volunteers wrote us a big note afterwards. He commented in his email that he is proud to be an American. I think these are the moments that make you realize that you’re making a difference, said Dr. Scott.
Dr. Scott assures the South Carolinians that the vaccine is safe and effective and encourages everyone to take it as available. He says he prefers to see him in Gamecock Park than in the emergency room at Prisma Health.