SC will expand COVID-19 vaccine access to people 65 and older. What you need to know
All South Carolinians age 65 and older will be able to schedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments starting next week.
Gov. Henry McMaster, who hinted Monday that he wanted to expand the state’s pool of vaccine-eligible residents in the near future, made it official Wednesday when he announced that seniors 65 and older could begin booking appointments and receiving shots in their arms on Feb. 8.
“We have a moral and ethical duty to first vaccinate the South Carolinians who are at the highest risk of dying from the virus,” McMaster said in a statement. “At this time, placing a younger person between a senior citizen and what could be their lifesaving shot would be unconscionable and irresponsible. Today’s action will save lives and allow our teachers to be vaccinated next.”
The likelihood of severe illness from COVID-19 infection increases markedly and progressively with age.
Nearly 19% of South Carolinians who have died of COVID-19 were between 61 and 70 years old compared to 31% who were between 71 and 80 and 38% who were 81 and older, according to DHEC.
The average age of South Carolinians who died from the virus is 75, and nearly 82% of COVID-19 victims were 65 and older, according to DHEC data.
South Carolina last month expanded the pool of vaccine-eligible individuals to people 70 and older, but had held off on the 65-69 age group, arguing the state’s COVID-19 mortality rate was about 18 times higher for those age 70 and older than for those younger than 70.
McMaster said the decision to expand vaccine eligibility to those 65 and older, which the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended states do last month, was made as the state streamlines its vaccine administration process and more doses flow into South Carolina from the federal government.
“As we evaluate supply versus demand and as the rate of vaccines coming into the state increases, we believe it is appropriate to begin scheduling appointments for additional South Carolinians,” DHEC Acting Director Marshall Taylor said in a statement. “While every South Carolinian will have a chance to get the vaccine, it’s important to understand the availability of vaccine is limited in South Carolina, like in all states. To best protect the safety and health of all South Carolinians we must make sure those at highest risk of severe illness and death get vaccinated first.”
After getting roughly 63,000 first doses of vaccine from the federal government each of the past 6 weeks, South Carolina received a boost in its supply this week. About 10,000 more first doses of the Moderna vaccine are expected to flow into the state in each of the next three weeks and another 40,000 doses recently reallocated from the state’s long-term care facility reserve are also being shipped to the state’s vaccine providers for administration.
The extra doses will help meet the demand of the additional 309,000 South Carolinians who will be newly eligible to get vaccinated Monday. The inclusion of residents age 65 to 69 in the pool of vaccine-eligible individuals brings to nearly 1.3 million the total number of people in Phase 1a.
Individuals between the ages of 65 and 69 had previously been in Phase 1c, whose members are projected to become vaccine-eligible in late spring. With Wednesday’s announcement, they jump ahead of the roughly 573,000 “frontline essential workers,” such as teachers, police officers, firefighters and grocery store workers included in Phase 1b.
A growing number of lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, have said teachers should be the next group prioritized for vaccinations as a means of getting students back in the classroom five days a week.
“Enough screwing around,” Massey, an Edgefield Republican, tweeted Tuesday. “We have to get kids in school 5 days in every district ASAP. That means prioritizing teachers and offering the vaccine to those who want it NOW. DHEC should be required to move teachers & support staff to 1a and have them fully vaccinated within 30 days.”
McMaster, for the first time Wednesday, indicated in his statement that teacher vaccinations would be his next priority.
The governor did not provide a timeline for when teachers and others in Phase 1b might be given vaccine access, but said decisions to expedite the vaccination process would be made based on the level of demand and available vaccine supply.
As of Wednesday, South Carolina had received more than 777,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses and roughly 365,000 residents had received at least their first shot. An additional 383,000 residents have scheduled vaccine appointments.
Vaccine-eligible South Carolinians can use DHEC’s locator tool to find a provider with availability near them at www.scdhec.gov/vaxlocator. The agency also recently launched a phone line — 866-365-8110 — where operators are available every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to help people searching for information about vaccine providers.
This story was originally published February 3, 2021 at 12:03 PM.