One of SC’s largest counties imposed a COVID vaccine mandate. Then, 96% got the shot
Two months ago, one of South Carolina’s largest counties led the state in becoming one of the first municipalities to order government workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Now, new figures released this week by Charleston County show the mandate has succeeded in nudging more people to get the life-saving shots. And two other municipalities in the Charleston area are seeing similar trends.
Charleston County reported 96% of its employees are now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, and 99% of its employees have complied with the county’s Nov. 7 deadline to either be fully vaccinated or submit a medical or religious exemption.
County spokeswoman Kelsey Barlow confirmed Friday that 50 employees had requested medical or religious exemptions. Six employees did not comply and were sent termination letters, she said.
The mandate applied to the 1,333 employees who report to the county administrator.
County employees who answer to elected officials, such as the county sheriff, treasurer, auditor, clerk of court and recorder of deeds, were not subject to the mandate approved by County Council on Sept. 2.
At the time, the county’s decision to implement a vaccine mandate was especially notable.
Not only was Charleston the first South Carolina county to impose such a requirement, but it also came at a time when public health data showed the state led the nation in COVID-19 cases per capita.
Charleston County is also the seventh-largest employer in the county, with just over 2,500 full- and part-time employees.
In a statement Thursday evening, Charleston County Council Chairman Teddie Pryor reflected on how adopting a COVID-19 vaccine mandate was a moment that showed elected officials must “make decisions for the greater good, that may not be popular, but are warranted.”
“This is about responsibility and respect for their fellow employees, and for those we serve on a day-to-day basis, and I am confident it was in the best interest of our community,” Pryor said.
Charleston County administrator Bill Tuten echoed Pryor in a statement of his own, saying the mandate “was about keeping our staff safe, as well as the citizens who visit our facilities.”
“This was our top priority,” Tuten said.
Charleston County also announced Friday that, starting Monday, it would be ending its indoor mask policy at county buildings and libraries for fully vaccinated employees and visitors. However, the county stressed in a news release that though masks will no longer be required, they are still “strongly encouraged.”
Meanwhile, the cities of Charleston and North Charleston are also reporting strong vaccination numbers for government employees ahead of their respective deadlines.
As of Friday morning, the city of Charleston reported 90% of its employees are fully vaccinated and 9% have received religious exemptions.
A total of 12 employees, seven full-time workers and five part-time, were not vaccinated and had not received an exemption, according to city spokesman Jack O’Toole. Those employees have until Monday to comply.
The city of North Charleston, which announced its vaccine mandate for city workers on Sept. 1, one day before Charleston County adopted its countywide mandate, reported similar vaccination rates among its 1,060 employees.
City spokesman Ryan Johnson said 90% of North Charleston’s government employees were fully vaccinated as of Friday.
After initially setting a Nov. 22 compliance deadline for its vaccine mandate, the city of North Charleston decided to give employees more time, extending the deadline until Dec. 3. To date, 19 employees have been approved for medical or religious exemptions, and 74 employees had their requests denied, Johnson said.
All employees must be partially vaccinated by Dec. 3 and fully vaccinated by Dec. 15. Any employee who is not fully vaccinated by Dec. 30 could lose their job, Johnson said.
The vaccine mandates in the Charleston area faced legal challenges, including one effort by nearly 80 firefighters, police officers, sheriff’s deputies and paramedics, who sought to temporarily stop four separate COVID-19 vaccination mandates from going into effect.
A federal judge denied their request, writing in his 51-page opinion, “Because the vaccine undisputedly reduces the spread of COVID-19, the government has not only a legitimate interest in limiting its employees’ freedom to express themselves by vaccine refusal, but a compelling one.”
