COLUMBIA, S.C. — CVS is getting ready to help vaccinate people at long-term care facilities in South Carolina starting next week.
Officials with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) says they're expecting the state to receive 200,000 to 300,000 more doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine by the end of the year.
This is all first shot doses. The second shot doses will come from a future allocation from the federal government.
The state has entered a partnership with the federal government to help vaccinate people at long-term care facilities.
Richard Kimball, region director for CVS Pharmacy in South Carolina, says they'll be using the Moderna vaccine.
"The state was given the option," Kimball said. "The State of South Carolina just chose Moderna. It does have an easier opportunity for shipping, as well as storage. That was a decision made by the state, not CVS."
Kimball says they've strategically chosen depot stores within a certain driving distance of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities. They believe it will allow their team to collect the needed vaccine for the clinics, transfer it to them and be able to provided and administer the vaccine in a timely fashion.
Kimball says they want to be able to preserve the vaccine the best way possible since there is a limited supply.
CVS plans on going to nearly 700 facilities in the Palmetto State.
"I don't have a specific number of doses. I can tell you that we know how many beds are in each skilled nursing facility and each assisted living facility," Kimball said. "Based off of that will be the volume that we will receive. That will be between the state and CVS."
CVS will begin going to these facilities starting December 28th.
The Moderna vaccine is two-shot dose, and 28 days will need to pass before the a second shot can be administered.
"We do have our first phase completed from the 28th of December to January 26th," Kimball said. "We basically have our schedule out to hit all these clinics. We will repeat that for the next month and then we actually will schedule one more 30-day period or 28-day period so to speak for us to go in one more time for any other patient that were not able attend the first session so that way we can ensure that everybody gets their second dose so they can be completely finished with the series."