Hours after registration starts, Conway Medical Center out of vaccine spots for seniors
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with further information and new contact information.
One of the two places where people over 70 could register to get vaccinated in Horry County says they are out of available COVID-19 appointments.
On Wednesday morning, Conway Medical Center stated it was out of available appointments.
“Due to an overwhelming response with thousands of requests, we have reached our capacity for scheduling appointments based on our current and anticipated allocation of vaccines from DHEC,” the hospital stated in a news release.
To speed up the pace of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster announced Monday that people over 70 could start to register for vaccine appointments. By Wednesday, a map of available vaccination sites was available on the Department of Health and Environmental Control website.
Conway Medical Center and Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital were both taking appointments and are the only two locations on the Grand Strand were residents can schedule an appointment for vaccination, according to the DHEC interactive map.
Following McMaster’s announcement, Conway Medical Center stated it would vaccinate as many people as possible with the supply it had.
“We are diligently working to adjust our plans to meet this accelerated timeline,” the hospital wrote Monday on Facebook.
The hospital asked that people not call it to schedule an appointment and that walk-ins are not allowed for vaccinations.
“We apologize for the inconvenience but based on anticipated allocation of vaccines from DHEC we have reached our capacity. We will open more appointments as soon as we know of our updated allocation of vaccines from DHEC. Please check back regularly,” the website read.
Conway Medical Center stated that as it receives more vaccines it will update the 70+ COVID-19 vaccine section of its website but it is no longer able to accept vaccine appointments until it receives more vaccine doses from DHEC.
The other option for Horry County seniors is Tidelands Health website. The link on the DHEC map also guides users to a form required to register for a vaccine. The hospital’s homepage also features a form that people wanting to get the vaccine can fill out to register.
Tidelands told The Sun News that 2,000 people ages 70 and older to receive the first dose of the vaccine next week. The hospital also stated it had already received more than 15,000 requests as of Wednesday afternoon and it is continuing to accept requests via its website.
Those without access to a computer can call 1-866-TIDELANDS – although the phone line is receiving a tremendous number of calls and may not be operational at all times, according to Tidelands spokeswoman Dawn Bryant.
By completing the online request form, adults 70 and older are “in line” to be scheduled for an appointment. Bryant says the hospital will respond to requests in the order they are received. The number of vaccines that can be administered each week is determined by the amount of vaccine the hospital receives from the government.
It will likely take several weeks to schedule everyone 70 and older who submits an appointment request, Bryant said in an email.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 11:53 AM.
