McMaster faults hospitals for slow vaccine roll-out, DHEC says supply ‘not sufficient’
A day after South Carolina’s top health official said federal supply of the COVID-19 vaccine isn’t enough to meet demand, Gov. Henry McMaster put blame on hospitals for slow vaccine distribution.
While touring a Myrtle Beach vaccination location, McMaster threatened an executive order for hospitals that do not vaccinate people fast enough.
“We have got to use every single dose of this vaccine that comes into the state and is not being done,” he said.
But hospitals said they aren’t getting the doses they need. As of Monday, South Carolina has received 317,975 total vaccine doses, according to state health department data. Of those, 163,800 have been administered.
And on Friday, Dr. Brannon Traxler, interim director of public health for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, told reporters that 100% of COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the state have been used or are earmarked for use.
The state ranks 50th in per capita vaccine distribution, according to the CDC. McMaster said he didn’t know where the stat came from but the state is “precisely in accordance with our program.”
So far South Carolina has distributed 6,808 doses per 100,000 people, the lowest in the country. The state ranks 48th in the country for doses administered per 100,000 people.
On Friday, Thornton Kirby, president and CEO of the S.C. Hospital Association, told hospitals that DHEC had advised him that medical centers will receive “significantly less vaccine” than they wanted.
Horry County hospitals said they can vaccinate more people, but don’t have enough supply to match the demand from people over 70 years old trying to make appointments.
“At this moment, the only limiting factor is the availability of vaccine from the government,” according to a Saturday news release from Tidelands Health. “Like all South Carolina hospitals, we have been told to expect less vaccine — not more — in the coming weeks.”
Tidelands Health has administered 37% of the vaccines they have received not including doses given at their rehabilitation centers. Conway Medical Center has administered 78%, according to DHEC data Monday. Both hospitals have fielded thousands of appointments for people over 70 who started to get their shots this week.
Tidelands Health said they have allocated all of their available doses and plan to vaccinate 3,000 seniors a week.
Still, McMaster put the blame on hospitals after touring Conway Medical Center’s newly opened vaccine location in Myrtle Beach.
“The hospitals being the ones with the capacity, with the facilities, with assets to do this, and the know-how to do it are the ones that must lead the way at this point,” he said.
Beaufort Memorial Hospital said Friday it had to cancel more than 6,000 vaccination appointments through March 30. The hospital placed an order for 2,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to be delivered early this week, but was notified Friday it will receive just 450 doses.
Hilton Head Hospital and Coastal Carolina Hospital on Monday said they had canceled about 300 appointments for people wanting a coronavirus vaccine. Appointments scheduled for before noon Wednesday will be rescheduled.
Last week the governor pressed leaders of South Carolina hospitals to reduce non-emergency procedures and shift employees to help speed up the state’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
At least 354,895 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina since March, and 5,662 have died, according to state health officials.
This story was originally published January 19, 2021 at 2:58 PM.
