Majority of people in South Carolina now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The majority of people living in South Carolina are now eligible for the coronavirus vaccine. The state moved to Phase 1B of its vaccine plan beginning Monday.

[RESOURCES: SOUTH CAROLINA’S COVID-19 VACCINATION PLAN]

Gov. Henry McMaster said at a news conference last week that teachers, grocery store employees and people with certain medical conditions can sign up for vaccine appointments.

The biggest points from today's news conference are that SC will enter phase 1b of vaccine distribution on Monday. That phase will be much wider than first planned. It will include those 55 & up, people 16-64 with pre-existing conditions, as well as a wider range of jobs.
— Greg Suskin (@GSuskinWSOC9) March 2, 2021

Officials estimate that 2.7 million people will be newly eligible for the vaccine in the state with a population of about 5 million.

“I think it’s good,” said Paul Bessette, who got the vaccine. “I mean, I think it’s time everyone be able to get their vaccine, so I think they’re ready for it.”

People 55 and older and those with increased risk for severe COVID-19, including people with certain developmental disabilities and individuals with medical conditions such as heart disease or sickle cell disease, will become eligible.

County-by-county guide: Here’s when, where you can get the COVID-19 vaccine

Frontline employees who work in-person jobs that put them at increased risk of exposure to others also will be eligible. Those workers include daycare and grocery store employees, manufacturing workers and law enforcement officers.

People who meet the age requirement can show vaccine providers an identification card, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Director Dr. Edward Simmer said. Otherwise, providers will have to rely on the honesty of South Carolinians who attest that they meet one of the other qualifications.

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Beginning March 8, appointments to get the COVID-19 vaccine can be made by people in the following groups:

Anyone age 55 and up.
People ages 16 to 64 with a high risk medical condition such as cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, diabetes, Down Syndrome, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, solid organ transplant, obesity, pregnancy and sickle cell disease.
People with special needs or a high-risk disability.
Frontline workers such as K-12 school staff and daycare workers, manufacturing workers, grocery store workers, law enforcement officers, etc.
Individuals at increased risk in settings where people are living and working in close contact such as group home settings, homeless shelters or correctional facilities.

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South Carolina to move into Phase 1B of COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan

The last priority phase, 1C, is estimated to begin in mid-April. That includes people 45 and older and essential workers. Officials estimate Phase 2, which includes everyone else 16 and up who hasn’t yet been vaccinated, to start in May.

“Please don’t jump ahead,” Simmer said.

More than 600,000 people in the state have already received at least their first dose of the vaccine. The vast majority of those belong to Phase 1A of the state’s vaccine plan, which includes health care workers, residents and staff in long-term care facilities and people 65 and older.

Simmer said the state is ready to get more shots in arms because of a bump in vaccine supply, as well as progress being made in the current eligible population.

The state will get more than 40,000 doses of the newly approved single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week. The vaccine, which also has less stringent storage requirements than the Moderna and Pfizer options, won’t be targeted toward any certain populations, Simmer said.

Still, the health department will look at allocating the Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses to smaller providers in underserved areas without the storage capacity for the other vaccines, he added. The new vaccine could also be used in mass vaccination clinics where it is harder for people to get a second dose.

According to DHEC, more than 900 vaccine providers are administering doses across the state and that includes pharmacies like those at Walgreens, CVS and Harris Teeter.

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Based on current vaccine supply levels, DHEC anticipates Phase 1C will begin on approximately April 12, 2021. The phase will include:

People aged 45 and up.
Essential workers (this group includes those who work in essential job categories as defined by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) who are not included in Phase 1B because they do not have frequent, close contact with others in the work environment. Examples include construction workers, delivery drivers, utility workers, etc. who do not have frequent, close and ongoing contact with others).

Phase 2 will begin on approximately May 3, 2021, and will include:

All South Carolinians aged 16 and up.

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Education Superintendent Molly Spearman said school districts should start reaching out to vaccine providers immediately to schedule teacher-specific clinics, which will let teachers get vaccinated faster.

McMaster and Spearman pushed school districts last Tuesday to open five days a week for in-person learning, given the new vaccine eligibility. McMaster urged state lawmakers to bring a bill to his desk that would require districts give parents that option.

“There are no more excuses or justifications for every one of our schools not to be open for five-days-a-week, face-to-face instruction,” McMaster said.

The announcement comes months after teacher groups started pushing for priority status in the state’s vaccination plan, saying that teachers in quarantine and on medical leave were exacerbating a long-running staffing shortage and making in-person teaching difficult.

The Palmetto State Teachers Association noted that McMaster could have prioritized educators without delaying vaccines for seniors. “Instead, today’s action means many teachers will not be able to secure a vaccine appointment for weeks or months,” the group said in a statement.

Lawmakers had started working on resolutions to prioritize teachers and require schools to open back up, though those proposals stalled in a House committee after many other groups of essential workers to legislators in a hearing. Other legislators said the move to bump up teachers could pit them against seniors still struggling for vaccine access.