Beaufort, Jasper Co. residents 65 to 69 can register for COVID-19 vaccines starting Monday
People 65 to 69 years old in Beaufort and Jasper counties will become eligible to schedule COVID-19 vaccinations starting Monday, Gov. Henry McMaster and state health officials announced Wednesday.
Phase 1a of vaccine distribution, which is ongoing, already includes S.C. residents who are 70 or older.
“We have a moral and ethical duty to first vaccinate the South Carolinians who are at the highest risk of dying from the virus,” McMaster wrote in a Wednesday statement. “At this time, placing a younger person between a senior citizen and what could be their lifesaving shot would be unconscionable and irresponsible. Today’s action will save lives and allow our teachers to be vaccinated next.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had previously urged states to expand eligibility to people 65 or older.
DHEC, though, declined to do so immediately due to the state’s limited supply of doses and the influx of demand after S.C. officials allowed those 70 and up to begin registering for appointments on Jan. 13.
Those 65 to 69 years old were originally listed in Phase 1c of distribution, which was expected to begin sometime this spring. But the governor during a Monday news conference in Columbia said he wanted the group to become eligible as soon as possible.
McMaster and DHEC on Wednesday cited data showing that 81.7% of COVID-19 deaths in South Carolina since last March have been recorded among people 65 or older.
“As we evaluate supply versus demand, and as the rate of vaccines coming into the state increases, we believe it is appropriate to begin scheduling appointments for additional South Carolinians,” wrote Marshall Taylor, DHEC’s acting director.
The 65- to 69-year-old seniors are leapfrogging teachers and other education professionals, who are designated as Phase 1b, in vaccine distribution.
What about vaccines for teachers?
Beaufort County School District superintendent Frank Rodriguez announced Tuesday that out of the district’s roughly 3,000 staff members, 95 (3%) are actively quarantining and 21 (0.7%) currently have COVID-19.
Teachers across South Carolina have protested against working conditions as many districts return to full-time, face-to-face instruction (Beaufort County schools did so Jan. 4; the Jasper County School District will return to four days a week of in-person classes starting Monday).
One teacher called in to the Beaufort County school board’s Jan. 7 meeting to say that he believed returning to full-time, in-person instruction was “irresponsible and reckless,” adding that he comes in contact with 150 students and teachers every day while teaching seven classes.
“My colleagues and I will become super-spreaders because we can’t social distance,” he said.
A Change.org petition from North Charleston titled “Prioritize Teachers to 1a Vaccine Group” has garnered more than 400 signatures in the past five days.
“Teachers are putting their lives on the line to appease state politics,” one signee wrote. “It is shameful at LEAST make their vaccinations priority!”
How many doses have been distributed?
The state this week began to receive 10,000 more weekly first doses of Moderna’s vaccine than it was getting previously. Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC’s interim director of public health, last Wednesday said the state expected 72,600 first vaccine doses per week for the next three weeks.
The state last week got about 62,000 first doses, according to DHEC.
McMaster also recently asked DHEC to reallocate almost 40,000 surplus Moderna doses to vaccine providers in the state. Those doses had previously been earmarked for a federal program providing shots at long-term care facilities.
Lowcountry seniors, though, who became eligible on Jan. 13 remain frustrated by a lack of appointment availability, a confusing federal sign-up system and a wave of cancellations that affected thousands of people last month after the state recorded a Pfizer-BioNTech shortfall.
Phase 1a already included an estimated 987,039 people statewide, according to DHEC.
And DHEC on Wednesday wrote that there are roughly 309,000 South Carolinians between the ages of 65 and 69.
The state as of early Wednesday had received roughly 777,000 doses in total, data show. Almost 440,000 of those shots had been administered.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow we covered this story
Facts about COVID-19 vaccine distribution in South Carolina are changing rapidly. The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette are trying to publish important information as quickly and accurately as possible. This story may be updated if more information becomes available or if facts become clearer.
This story was originally published February 3, 2021 at 12:06 PM.
