Tidelands Health needs more workers as vaccine approval and SC delta cases spur demand
A Myrtle Beach area hospital system is looking to hire temporary workers to assist with growing COVID-19 vaccine demand as cases and hospitalizations spike in the region and across the state.
Tidelands Health hopes to hire more than 100 clinically trained temporary workers to administer vaccines at its Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet and Georgetown vaccination site locations, according to a news release from the health system. The move comes as increased demand follows a surge in severe COVID-19 cases fueled by the unvaccinated population and a green light for booster shots for people with weakened immune systems.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also gave its full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine Monday for people ages 16 and older. Until then, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, like Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, had been administered under an emergency use authorization from the FDA.
Those factors have driven an increase in vaccine demand, as some have been wary of getting the shot under only an emergency use authorization.
Since approval for a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine is anticipated as early as next month, Tidelands is anticipating another wave of people getting shots, and needs more people to help administer them.
“Bringing on additional team members will help ensure the efficient, streamlined vaccination process our community members have come to appreciate when getting a vaccine from us,” said Gayle Resetar, chief operating officer at Tidelands.
The move also comes as local hospitals, including Tidelands, are grappling with another rise in hospitalizations. Across Horry County, 52 hospital beds are available, and Georgetown County only has 19 available beds, according to data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. The majority of hospitalizations are occurring among unvaccinated people, and doctors and other healthcare experts are imploring people to get the shot.
“The increased demand is refreshing to see because every shot will help us get closer to putting this pandemic behind us,” Resetar said.
The increased demand comes months after another Horry County doctor described the vaccine uptake as “almost nonexistent.”
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To apply for the open positions at Tidelands, visit tidelandshealth.org.
This story was originally published August 25, 2021 at 1:24 PM.
