COLOMBIA, SC (AP) – South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster opened the COVID-19 vaccination to all state residents aged 16 and over, saying on Friday that they could start making appointments next week. and receive the vaccine from March 31st.
State officials initially planned to implement the 16-year-old or older rule in May, after completing a final priority phase for people aged 45 and over.
“Our priority with the vaccine has been to save the lives of those most at risk of dying,” said McMaster in a press release. “By staying on course and resisting distractions, we expanded access and eligibility for Southern Carolinians to vaccinate faster than initially anticipated.”
South Carolina joins at least a dozen states that have made vaccination eligible for over 16s. The vaccine has not been approved for adolescents and children under the age of 16.
As of this week, more than 1.1 million in South Carolina, or about 27% of the total population, have received at least one dose of vaccine, according to public health officials. Almost 618,000, or about 15%, have been fully vaccinated.
In January, the governor said he was frustrated with what he characterized as a slow release of the vaccine. The Republican governor attributed to the administration of former President Donald Trump the rapid development of vaccines, but he deplored the “bottlenecks” that, he said, were preventing the spread to those in the first priority group, including health professionals.
Since then, vaccines have become much more widely available in the state and across the country. Earlier this month, South Carolina began opening appointments for people aged 55 and over, as well as for people with certain health conditions or jobs that require them to report to work in person.
Vaccination of teachers has also been a priority in South Carolina, as McMaster and others have pledged to return students to classrooms for full-time face-to-face instruction, rather than the mix of face-to-face and virtual learning that many districts have adopted. .
This week, some districts suspended classes for several days to allow educators to make their vaccinations. Earlier this year, legislators debated pushing teachers to the front of the vaccination line in order to return to classroom teaching more quickly, but this was rejected in favor of adding teachers to already eligible groups.
The widespread vaccination occurs as South Carolina continues to lift the restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus. McMaster never implemented a mask mandate across the state, but he ordered masking in restaurants and some government office buildings. He suspended these orders earlier this month, leaving it for state administrative officials and restaurant operators to develop their own guidelines.
Last month, the governor lifted bans on alcohol sales at night and meetings of more than 250 people. He encouraged people to “make responsible decisions”, but said he believed that “these targeted and limited security measures are no longer needed”. At the time, state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell warned that if people realized that the virus was no longer a threat, they could stop following public health guidelines and increase cases again.
“Today, about a year after the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, we are able to offer three very safe and effective vaccines to all South Carolina residents over the age of 16 – another step on our way to taking control of the COVID-19. of him controlling us and getting back to normal, “said Dr. Edward Simmer, director of the Department of Health and Environmental Control, on Friday. ___
Meg Kinnard can be contacted at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.
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