Here’s where to get a free COVID vaccine near Myrtle Beach this week as Delta spreads

The plea from local and national health officials to get vaccinated against the coronavirus has grown stronger in recent weeks as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread.

Horry County has one of the highest vaccination rates in the state, with nearly 58% of the eligible population receiving their shot, but local doctors still hope more people will roll up their sleeves aiming to push toward a higher level of immunity.

The county has been hit hard throughout the pandemic, in particular last summer when Myrtle Beach made national headlines for being a “hot spot” of infections. In recent weeks, an uptick of cases has been reported, following the trend of many areas which haven’t reached the desired 70-80% vaccination rate.

In May and June, Horry County logged several weeks where the total count of reported COVID-19 cases was less than 100, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. That number jumped significantly through July, with 442 and 678 cases reported the week of July 17 and July 24, respectively.

Here’s where to find free DHEC vaccines in the Myrtle Beach area this week:

• Tuesday July 27, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Myrtle Beach Health Department, 700 21st Ave. N., Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
• Tuesday July 27, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Living Water Baptist Church, 1569 Hwy. 9 E., Longs, SC 29568
• Thursday July 29, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Conway Housing Authority, 2303 Leonard Ave., Conway, SC 29527
• Friday July 30, 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Conway Health Department, 1931 Industrial Park Rd., Conway, SC 29526
  
  
• Friday July 30, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Myrtle Beach Health Department, 700 21st Ave. N., Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
  
  
• Friday July 30, 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Conway Health Department, 1931 Industrial Park Rd., Conway, SC 29526
• Friday July 30, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Myrtle Beach Health Department, 700 21st Ave. N., Myrtle Beach, SC 29577

To find other vaccination sites, including at local hospitals and pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens, visit https://vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov/.

Mary Norkol

The Sun News

Mary Norkol covers education and COVID-19 for The Sun News through Report for America, an initiative which bolsters local news coverage. She joined The Sun News in June 2020 after graduating from Loyola University Chicago, where she was editor-in-chief of the Loyola Phoenix. Norkol has won awards in podcasting, multimedia reporting, in-depth reporting and feature reporting from the South Carolina Press Association and the Illinois College Press Association. While in college, she reported breaking news for the Daily Herald and interned at the Chicago Sun-Times and CBS Chicago.