Here’s where SC seniors can get the coronavirus vaccine in York, Lancaster, Chester
Today is the day.
South Carolinaians 70 or older regardless of health status and preexisting conditions can schedule an appointment Wednesday for the coronavirus vaccine.
The state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control launched its online locator tool to assist those eligible to receive a vaccine in finding a provider near them. The map itself is not a way to schedule an appointment.
Residents can also call the agency’s Care Line at 1-855-472-3432 to get information on how to schedule an appointment with nearby providers.
However, when patients can receive their first dose may be several weeks out depending on the location and supply, state officials said. Facilities receive doses from the federal government typically at beginning of each week, DHEC officials said.
“It’s important to understand that the flow of the vaccine is a trickle into our state right now from the federal government,” DHEC’s interim director of public health Brannon Traxler said during a briefing Wednesday. “We get roughly 60,000 doses a week for the entire state. Yet, we estimate there are to be about 10 times more people than that who are 70 years old and older in South Carolina.”
Residents will need to provide a driver’s license or other form of identification at their appointment to confirm their age, DHEC said.
As of Wednesday, here’s where South Carolina seniors can make an appointment in York, Lancaster and Chester counties:
- MUSC-Health Lancaster Hospital, 800 West Meeting St.
- MUSC-Health Chester Hospital, 1 Medical Park Dr.
Residents can schedule an appointment on MUSC’s website.
More vaccine providers to come
At this time, no hospitals in York County are currently accepting appointments, according to DHEC’s locator.
Rock Hill’s Piedmont Medical Center, which is providing vaccines to heath care workers, is working to move ahead in vaccinating those 70 and older in the near future.
“We are working with state and local leaders to plan for community vaccinations, and we will keep everyone informed as more vaccine doses become available and we are able to expand vaccination capability,” hospital spokesperson Daisy Burroughs told The Herald in a statement.
Traxler said the providers included on DHEC’s map can change daily and the agency is working to add more locations in the “coming days and weeks.” But in the meantime, if South Carolinaians, particularly those in more rural parts of the state, are unable to find a vaccine provider nearby, Traxler encouraged them to look at neighboring counties.
If those in York, Lancaster and Chester counties want to make a trip to nearby Kershaw County, the hospital, at 1315 Roberts St. in Camden, is accepting appointments. Patients can schedule an appointment on the hospital’s website.
South Carolina and North Carolina do not have a residency requirement for getting a vaccine. North Carolina is currently offering vaccines to those 75 or older regardless of health status.
Several Mecklenburg County locations are providing vaccines to that age group, including Atrium Health and Novant Health. Patients must schedule an appointment to receive the vaccine. Those eligible for a vaccine can schedule an appointment on Atrium’s website and on Novant’s website.
Both coronavirus vaccines currently available require two doses, and DHEC officials encourage residents to schedule their second shot as soon as possible. It’s important that both shots came from the same brand, officials said.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires the two shots be separated by 21 days. While, the Moderna vaccine requires the doses to be separated by 28 days. With both doses, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are 94%-95% effective.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 11:13 AM.
