Horry students can choose to report vaccination status. The district doesn’t track it
Horry County Schools (HCS) doesn’t know how many of its students and staff are vaccinated against COVID-19.
Unlike some districts across the country, HCS hasn’t required vaccines for its students or employees, but they can choose to report their vaccination status during contact tracing to avoid quarantine after exposure. Even if a student or staff member reports their vaccination status, the district doesn’t track those numbers, according to HCS spokesperson Lisa Bourcier.
“HCS does not track the vaccination status of staff or students even if voluntarily disclosed,” Bourcier wrote in an email to The Sun News.
Around 24% of Horry County kids aged 17 and younger have gotten at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). Because the district doesn’t record vaccination status, there’s no way to know how many of the 11,000-plus vaccinated people in that age group are Horry County Schools students.
Quarantining depends on vaccination status
The district’s quarantine policy, crafted with the help of DHEC, states students and staff who are vaccinated against the coronavirus don’t have to quarantine after exposure, so long as they aren’t showing symptoms.
As the threat of the super-spreader Omicron variant of the coronavirus increases, states, cities and school districts are buckling down on their vaccination requirements and other coronavirus precautions. Some universities, like the University of Illinois and Northwestern University, have announced the first two weeks of spring semester will be virtual due to rising COVID-19 cases across the country. Others have announced not only will students and staff be required to be vaccinated, but booster shots will be mandatory.
Across South Carolina, some districts are doubling down on COVID-19 protocols while others, including HCS, have yet to announce any changes. Chester County Schools will conduct remote learning after winter break from Jan. 5-7, citing last year’s “significant spike” in cases following the holidays.
HCS did away with most safety precautions at the beginning of this school year as the contagious Delta variant spurred an increased spread in infections. Unlike last year, masks haven’t been required at schools, and fewer students opted for virtual learning over in-person instruction. Infections and quarantines among staff and students have fallen significantly since the fall, when the district recorded nearly a quarter of its student body in quarantine.
So far this school year, more than 4,200 HCS students and staff have tested positive for the virus, according to district data.
As Omicron spreads, doctors urge vaccines
But health experts are sounding the alarm about the Omicron variant’s rapid spread and fear a surge in cases following holiday gatherings and travel. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “identified the potential for a rapid increase in infections” due to the Omicron variant.
Local doctors urge parents to get their kids vaccinated. While they wouldn’t comment specifically on HCS’ quarantine policy or vaccination rates, both Dr. Paul Richardson of Conway Medical Center and Dr. Gerald Harmon of Tidelands Health said vaccines are the best way to protect both children and adults from infection and keep children in schools.
“The way to prevent your child having to be quarantined right now is to get them vaccinated,” Harmon said. “It also substantially reduces the risk.”
Parents at school board meetings and on social media have raised concerns about healthy students being stuck in quarantine due to the district’s policy. For Richardson, the best way to avoid that is to vaccinate kids so they can avoid quarantine and stay in school if they’re not showing symptoms.
“If vaccination helps to cut back on quarantines and that kind of thing, then by all means, that to me is another motivating factor,” Richardson said.
HCS and Conway Medical Center have teamed up to put on vaccination clinics for students, staff and the general public. Bourcier stressed vaccines are voluntary.
To find a vaccine location near you, visit https://vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov/.
This story was originally published December 21, 2021 at 12:06 PM.
