COVID-19 vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on March 28
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and COVID-19 vaccines in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases surpass 463,000
At least 463,643 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina and 8,053 have died since last March, according state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Sunday reported 644 new COVID-19 cases, down from 752 reported the day before.
Eleven coronavirus-related deaths were also reported Sunday.
At least 508 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus in the state as of Sunday.
As of Sunday, 3.4% of COVID-19 tests were reported positive. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 5% or lower means there is a low level of community spread.
More than 1.9 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in South Carolina as of Sunday.
South Carolina paid $145K for COVID-19 vaccine scheduler
The S.C. DHEC agreed to pay $145,000 to create its own vaccine scheduling portal after receiving complaints about the federal system, which confused patients and health care workers, records show.
Seniors in the state immediately voiced their frustration with the Vaccine Administration Management System, or VAMS, after people ages 70 and older became eligible for the coronavirus vaccine. The system requires an email address to register, making it virtually impossible for some residents to use.
The DHEC said its vaccine scheduling system, called COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment System, would be more user friendly. But it’s still unclear two months later how many providers will use it as some are using their own systems and some haven’t heard of it.
Nick Davidson, DHEC’s senior deputy for public health, said in mid-March that CVAS would meet the needs of most providers who wanted a better scheduling option.
“It does seem like that’s gonna be the best system to offer,” he said, according to The State.
Vaccine Chasers sign up Columbia residents for vaccines
For the past six weeks, a group of people has been knocking on doors in some of Columbia’s historically underserved neighborhoods to help schedule older residents for COVID-19 vaccine appointments.
The group, unofficially called the Vaccine Chasers, has helped nearly 1,200 Columbia residents get the vaccine in a month, Jeannie Jackson, the lead organizer of the group, told The State.
It started with frustration with the technological difficulties surrounding scheduling appointments.
“It started with a conversation between Jeannie and me,” Kit Smith, former Richland County councilwoman and leader of the Coalition of Five Points Neighborhoods, told The State. “We were frustrated with the continuing message of how undervaccinated the African American community is. We knew that the reason was not really vaccine accessibility — it was enrollment accessibility.”
The group then connected with Providence Health, which allots the Vaccine Chasers appointment slots each week. The group fills them for people whose names they’ve collected while knocking on doors.
It also arranges transportation for those who need it.
SC expanding vaccine eligibility to everyone 16 and older
By the end of March, all South Carolina residents 16 years of age and up will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, The State reported.
The expansion, which begins March 31, comes as demand for the vaccines is declining in the state, and puts the state a month ahead of schedule in its rollout plan.
“Our priority with the vaccine has been to save the lives of those at the greatest risk of dying. By staying the course and resisting distractions, we’ve expanded South Carolinians’ access and eligibility for vaccinations faster than originally anticipated,” Gov. Henry McMaster said in a statement.
Coalition calls on utility companies to halt service shutoffs
A South Carolina coalition is calling on utility companies operating in the state to put a moratorium on service shutoffs, as many residents still struggle to pay their bills during the COVID-19 pandemic.
South Carolina Connected in Crisis submitted a letter last week to the S.C. Public Service Commission, which is in charge of regulating public utilities, The State reported.
Many of South Carolina’s largest utility providers already enacted moratoriums for months during the pandemic, but that grace period has ended. After the five major power companies started doing shutoffs again, the number of disconnections rose from 3,768 in the third quarter of last year to 58,506 in the fourth.
But those fourth quarter figures are 39% lower than the same period in 2019.
Some providers say that although disconnections have resumed, they’re working with customers to keep the lights on when payments are behind.
“We are providing flexible payment arrangements and allowing more time for customers to pay off past-due balances,” Dominion Energy spokesperson Matthew Long said.
This story was originally published March 28, 2021 at 10:59 AM.
