Darlington Raceway brings SC’s first Phase 1b vaccinations. Here’s how it went.
As some 5,000 people lined up Friday to receive their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine at Darlington Raceway in Florence, Gov. Henry McMaster, state House Speaker Jay Lucas and U.S. Congressman Tom Rice toured the event, the state’s first mass vaccination for the large “Phase 1b” group of vaccine recipients.
The state leaders lauded the event’s progress in getting thousands of people vaccinated, including teachers, who they noted are particularly important to immunize as the state reopens schools.
“We’ve had a lot come through today, and that’s going to get our schools restarted,” said Lucas, R-Darlington.
The clinic comes almost exactly one year after COVID-19 was officially discovered in South Carolina. The first cases in the state were reported March 6, 2020.
“We couldn’t control the pandemic,” McMaster said. “We couldn’t control the onset of that. We didn’t start it. But we started this, and this is the way you get it done when something like that faces us.”
The event also served as a next step in providing greater access to the vaccine in rural areas of the Pee Dee. Marion County, in particular, saw a low vaccination rate until just a few weeks ago, Rice noted. Now, roughly 16% of the county’s residents have been vaccinated. That brings the county in line with the rest of the state, as about 17% of South Carolina residents have received at least one vaccine dose.
McMaster said the state’s progress with vaccinations will ensure that this Easter and summer will be much better than South Carolina experienced in 2020. However, both he and DHEC director Edward Simmer cautioned that people will likely need to continue to wear masks for several more months. The pandemic isn’t over yet.
McLeod Health chief medical officer Jeremy Robertson said it’s important for everyone who received their vaccine Friday to remember that it does not reach full effectiveness until a week after the second dose is administered. A second mass vaccination event for people to receive second doses will be held April 1, so people who received their first shot Friday will not be considered fully protected until April 8.
“We’re very fortunate to be able to bring this vaccine to you,” Robertson said. “The science behind this vaccine is sound. It’s been rigorous. And we are so fortunate to have three vaccines that are approved that are safe and effective against COVID.”
From start to finish, Friday’s appointment-only, drive-thru clinic at Darlington Raceway took as little as 30 minutes for many attendees, including the 15-minute waiting period after the shot is administered. Cars rarely stopped moving.
The event, which involved driving on the racetrack, was the Palmetto State’s first vaccine clinic to include people eligible under Phase 1b. This stage of the vaccine rollout technically doesn’t start until March 8, but McLeod Health got a special exemption to start early because the event still had unfilled appointments when Phase 1b was announced Monday.
Here’s who Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) says is included under Phase 1B, which covers about 2.7 million South Carolinians.
- People aged 55 and up.
- People with increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease
- Frontline workers with increased occupational risk
- Individuals at increased risk in settings where people are living and working in close contact
- All workers in healthcare and community health settings who have routine, direct patient contact and were not vaccinated in Phase 1A
This story was originally published March 5, 2021 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Darlington Raceway brings SC’s first Phase 1b vaccinations. Here’s how it went.."
