Hilton Head area hospitals reschedule roughly 400 COVID-19 vaccinations. Here’s why
Hilton Head Regional Healthcare has rescheduled about 400 COVID-19 vaccinations this week that were originally canceled last week.
Jeremy Clark, CEO of the health system, during a virtual community forum Friday said he doesn’t expect any new cancellations this week.
Last week’s cancellations were first dose appointments, according to spokesperson Daisy Burroughs.
Burroughs wrote in a Monday statement that vaccine appointments are canceled if the health system’s weekly supply isn’t enough to meet demand.
“While we cannot guarantee canceled appointments will be rescheduled for the following week, we will strive to reschedule canceled appointments promptly,” she wrote.
Thousands of seniors in Beaufort and Jasper counties now face that reality, as the limited supply of vaccines continues to frustrate health care providers and those seeking shots.
The demand for vaccines far outweighs the number of doses available for distribution, forcing medical centers like Hilton Head and Coastal Carolina hospitals to adapt week to week.
Hilton Head Regional Healthcare, which includes the two hospitals, has opted to cancel some appointments weekly, if needed.
Beaufort Memorial Hospital, meanwhile, on Jan. 15 decided to cancel over 6,000 appointments through March 30 due to an expected shortfall in Pfizer-BioNTech doses.
The hospital has recently been working through its backlog of cancellations, hosting drive-thru clinics around the county. The hospital planned to vaccinate roughly 1,500 people Saturday at an appointment-only, drive-thru event in Okatie for some of those affected on Jan. 15.
About 1,000 people were vaccinated at a similar event on Jan. 21 at the Beaufort High School Stadium’s parking lot.
“We’re optimistic that as more and more providers come online, many of the people who had appointments with us and other hospitals are going to get their shot at the pharmacies, and that’s opening up capacity as well,” Clark said Friday. “We’re, again, more encouraged than even just a few days ago on our ability to get folks in.”
Pharmacies at Publix, Kroger, Harris Teeter and Walmart recently started to offer Moderna vaccinations. County-level data on those allocations were not available as of Monday.
By the numbers
Hilton Head Hospital as of Sunday had used 151% of 1,925 first Pfizer doses, administering 2,911 first shots in total. That’s possible because some Pfizer vials have contained six or even seven doses, as opposed to just five.
The island’s hospital had used 104% of 475 second doses.
Coastal Carolina Hospital, meanwhile, as of Sunday had utilized 113% of 2,755 first Pfizer doses (3,120 doses administered). The medical center had used 92% of 225 second doses.
Beaufort Memorial Hospital had administered 122% of 4,850 first doses, using 5,893 in total. The hospital had utilized 57% of 2,075 second doses as of Sunday.
Pfizer’s vaccine uses a recommended two-dose regimen. The second shot is scheduled three weeks after the first.
