President Joe Biden’s administration has reserved vaccine doses and federal funding for certain types of organizations to improve access to the COVID-19 vaccine, and some South Carolina suppliers will be the beneficiaries.
Among other announcements, the White House said on March 25 that health centers designated by the country’s government in South Carolina would receive $ 95.2 million in funding. Primary care centers treat underprivileged communities and minorities.
Officials said the money should be used for COVID-19’s efforts to “expand the operational capacity of health centers during the pandemic and beyond”.
The White House said some of the money could be used to improve the centers’ physical facilities and build mobile units. There are about two dozen centers in South Carolina, and the average prize for organizations is $ 4.1 million.
For some of the health centers, the amount of the premium in this round of financing is more than they receive in contributions and subsidies in an entire year, according to tax reports from nonprofit organizations.
Dialysis centers will also receive their own quota of COVID-19 vaccines. Companies that manage dialysis across the country have argued in favor of receiving doses, noting that their patients are much more likely to become seriously ill or die of coronavirus than the general population. In a study of patients with end-stage kidney disease who contracted the virus, more than half were hospitalized and 23% died of COVID-19, according to results published earlier this year in the journal Kidney Medicine.
The White House announcement did not specify how much extra vaccine dialysis clinics would receive. In South Carolina, so far, dialysis clinics have not received a vaccine, although dialysis professionals have argued that they could quickly vaccinate all their patients who are willing to have an injection because they come for treatment several times a week.
State figures
New cases reported: 551 confirmed, 440 probable.
Total cases in SC: 461,418 confirmed, 83,836 probable.
Positive percentage: 3.8 percent.
New deaths reported: 31 confirmed, 1 probable.
Total deaths in SC: 8,021 confirmed, 1,062 probable.
Percentage of ICU beds occupied: 68 percent.
How does SC rank in vaccines administered by 100,000 people?
43 as of March 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most affected areas
In the total number of new confirmed cases, Greenville County (76), Charleston County (46) and Horry County (40) saw the highest totals.
What about the tri-county?
Charleston County had 46 new cases on March 25, while Berkeley had 21 and Dorchester had 17.
Deaths
Two of the new confirmed deaths occurred in people aged 18 to 34, four in people aged 35 to 64 and the remaining 25 in patients aged 65 and over.
Hospitalizations
Of the 547 patients with COVID-19 hospitalized on March 24, 122 were in the ICU and 56 were using ventilators.
What do the experts say?
Nick Davidson, senior deputy director of public health for the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, said providers with doses of vaccine left over at the end of the day should make an attempt to place vaccines in the arms of people who are currently eligible. .
“First of all, we want the vaccine to be used,” he said. “We don’t want any waste.”
He said several providers, including local pharmacies and emergency care centers, are using waiting lists to return to adults who may not have been able to make an appointment, but who have expressed an interest in receiving a vaccine. Ultimately, vaccinating someone on a waiting list who is not strictly eligible at the moment is “better than a missed dose,” said Davidson.
To reach Mary Katherine Wildeman at 843-607-4312. Follow her on Twitter @mkwildeman.