NC changed its stance on crossing the border for a COVID vaccine. Will SC do the same?
North Carolina tightened its policy this week on allowing out-of-state residents to cross its border to receive the coronavirus vaccine, likely affecting thousands of people from York, Lancaster and Chester counties whose nearest provider is in the Charlotte area.
South Carolina, which does not have a residency requirement, has had a tendency to follow one step behind North Carolina in its vaccine distribution effort, but officials from the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control insist they have no plans to change its policy — at least not right now.
After receiving updated guidance last week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services — which until Tuesday had no residency requirement — will now limit COVID-19 shots to individuals “who spend significant time in North Carolina,” according to a statement from the department.
North Carolina providers can now turn away people who not do live, work or receive “on-going health care” in the state, according to the statement.
“This could include persons briefly passing or traveling through North Carolina or coming to North Carolina for the main purpose of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine and then returning to another state,” the statement said.
Although South Carolina health officials have continued to stress that the demand for the vaccine currently outstretches the supply, state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said Wednesday the state is not likely to implement similar limitations in the near future.
“While there’s currently no need for proof of residency in order to receive the vaccine, it’s advised that they receive both doses from the same vaccine provider,” Bell said. “It’s possible for this to change for our state, but I’m not aware of any discussions at this time for implementing a residency requirement.”
Virus ‘doesn’t adhere to any boundaries’
North Carolina expanded its vaccine eligibility to include anyone 65 and older nearly a month before South Carolina.
Until last week, South Carolina had been vaccinating people 70 and older, so state residents — particularly those in York, Lancaster and Chester counties — five years younger than the eligibility threshold commonly crossed into North Carolina for an appointment, such as 65-year-old Rock Hill resident Ron Auvil.
Auvil had signed up for an appointment through his provider, Atrium Health, in Monroe, North Carolina. A week later, Atrium offered him an appointment during its mass vaccination event at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Jan. 30 — nearly two weeks before his home state expanded eligibility to his age group.
“As of right now, with so many people who can’t get an appointment, I now have two of them,” Auvil told The Herald in an email. “Go figure.”
Nearly 3% — or 31,186 — of the 1.1 million first doses administered in North Carolina went to people with a “county of residence missing,” according to North Carolina’s vaccine distribution dashboard.
The number of North Carolinians vaccinated in South Carolina has been far less. Less than 1% — or 8,294 — of the 705,766 doses administered in South Carolina went to North Carolina residents, according to South Carolina’s dashboard.
“It’s important to remember that the virus that causes COVID-19 doesn’t adhere to any boundaries or state borders,” Bell said. “Just as South Carolina is reliant on our neighboring states, they’re reliant on us. We all need to work together in our fight against COVID.”
This story was originally published February 18, 2021 at 9:36 AM.
