After a slow rollout, SC lawmakers prepare to spend $208M on COVID-19 vaccine efforts
Amid frustrations COVID-19 vaccines aren’t being distributed quickly enough, lawmakers are looking to spend more than $200 million to help with vaccine distribution and build up vaccine distribution capacity in the state.
The money would be split between the Department of Health and Environmental Control, the Medical University of South Carolina, hospitals in the state and other vaccine providers, lawmakers said during a legislative meeting Thursday.
DHEC would receive $63 million and MUSC would receive $45 million to ramp up vaccine distribution, such as paying for staff or even advertising vaccination events.
Lawmakers want to set aside $75 million for hospitals around the state and $25 million to other providers who have registered with DHEC to administer vaccines.
Money would come from the state’s contingency funds and would be used to distribute vaccinations as well as for continued testing, contact tracing and personal protective equipment, among other things, said state Rep. William Herbkersman, R-Beaufort.
Any federal money sent to the state for vaccine distribution would have to be spent first before any state money is spent, according to the legislation.
The proposed legislation also codifies a recent executive order expanding who can give a vaccine, allowing medical students and retired nurses to administer doses.
State lawmakers in March of last year provided money to DHEC and MUSC to improve testing efforts in the state when COVID-19 testing was not widely available.
“I think there’s no argument it turned things around for that, and I have every bit of faith that this will do the same thing with vaccination efforts,” said Herbkersman who’s a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
The full Ways and Means Committee is expected to consider the vaccine relief spending bill on Monday, with the full State House possibly considering the measure later in the week, Herbkersman said.
Lawmakers have been frustrated over how quickly the state’s allocation of COVID-19 vaccines has been used up in the state. However, Gov. Henry McMaster has called on hospitals to speed up vaccine administration and called on those who currently qualify to scheduled appointments to be vaccinated or lose their priority status.
Meanwhile, the S.C. Hospital Association has warned hospitals to expect less vaccine than what they requested to meet demand.
The two COVID-19 vaccines being administered require two doses taken three or four weeks apart. Hospitals have been urged to administer the vaccines they have on hand with assurances they will receive the necessary second doses.
Seniors have had trouble signing up for vaccine appointments, and state medical leaders have said the supply of vaccine has not been high enough to meet the demand.
“We’re not blaming hospitals,” said state Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Richland. “We want to see it get better and we’re going to try and make sure that it can ... We want to see needles in arms, we want to see vaccinations, and we’re going to do all that we can to make sure that can happen.”
