SC slated to receive hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses by end of 2020
South Carolina will likely receive hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of 2020, a Department of Health and Environmental Control spokesperson said Monday.
Based on the current estimate provided the state by the federal government, the Palmetto State should receive between 200,000 and 300,000 doses of vaccine, DHEC’s Laura Renwick told The State.
DHEC officials believe they will receive doses of Pfizer’s vaccine. Both Pfizer and Moderna have applied for emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Both vaccines are considered safe and have been more than 95% effective in initial trials.
Pfizer’s vaccine could gain emergency approval by the end of the week. But the vaccine’s approval could trigger some unique challenges, as the vaccine must be stored at negative 70 degrees Celsius, or negative 94 degrees Fahrenheit. Moderna’s vaccine must be kept frozen at negative 20 degrees Celsius, or negative 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
In preparation, DHEC has identified five cold storage sites across the state to hold the vaccines. The locations have not been disclosed due to security concerns.
Health officials warned the number of doses the state is slated to receive from the federal government could change.
“We won’t know the exact amount until the doses are received,” Renwick said in a statement.
DHEC officials have said they may get the initial shipment of COVID vaccine doses from Pfizer between Dec. 14 and Dec. 16. If the Moderna vaccine is approved, doses are expected to arrive the following week.
The general public won’t be able to receive the vaccine for some time. According to South Carolina’s vaccine plan, medical personnel and residents of long-term care facilities will be the first to receive a dose.
Once more doses are available, people who are at increased risk of contracting the virus or at high risk of experiencing severe complications — such as those with pre-existing medical conditions, the elderly or those who live in congregate settings — will be in line to receive it. Though health officials say it’s too soon to know when that group will receive vaccines, they estimate it will be in the early months of 2021.
Vaccine distribution can’t come soon enough. Over the weekend, South Carolina saw record breaking numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases, with 2,470 cases reported Friday and 2,715 reported Saturday. On Monday, DHEC reported identifying 2,413 more cases, making it the fourth day in a row the state has seen more than 2,000 cases.
This story was originally published December 7, 2020 at 3:13 PM.
