COLUMBIA, S.C. — Health officials with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control gave an update Monday afternoon discussing the coroanvirus vaccine in South Carolina.
On Monday, there were more than 3,000 new confirmed cases for the coronavirus. The state also set a record for most hospitalizations with 2,155 patients.
Dr. Brannon Traxler, Chief Medical Officer for the state's COVID-19 response, says more than 43,200 doses of the Pfizer vaccine has been administered in South Carolina.
Facilities will soon begin to administer second round doses and those individuals will be considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
"South Carolina, this week, most likely today, is receiving its first shipments of those second doses of the Pfizer Vaccine," said Dr. Traxler. "A total of 16,575 second round doses of vaccine are being directly shipped to facilities this week by the federal government."
Dr. Traxler says more than 440,000 COVID-19 tests have been done in the Palmetto State.
"The utilization rate, the percentage of vaccine that we have received that has been administered for Pfizer, is 38 percent," explained Dr. Traxler. "We have the most knowledge of the Pfizer numbers because the Moderna is going to the long term care facility federal pharmacy partnerships."
SCDHEC hopes to have numbers on the Moderna vaccine in the next couple of days.
Dr. Traxler says some of the things they need people to do to help speed up the administration of the vaccine is by everyone doing their part to lower the spread.
"That will help remove the burden if we are seeing less disease transmission and it will help remove the burden from our hospitals and other health care providers," said the Chief Medical Officer.
Health officials believe Phase 1B will begin in February.
Many are wondering when the general population will be able to get the vaccine.
"Regardless of what number it is, the phase that includes the general population and the vast majority of people, we do expect to begin in late spring and continue into summer and even into early fall," said Dr. Traxler.
"While we continue to wait for the COVID-19 vaccines to become more widely available for everyone, we can't stress enough how essential it is for each one of us to continue to practice those daily, and even those hourly precautions, that help protect every one."
The Chief Medical Officer for the state believes it's important people practice social distancing and safety guidelines as the pandemic continues.
"We're calling on all South Carolinians to step up by stepping back until it's your turn to receive the vaccine and in the interim and even afterwards to continue to take those small steps that make big differences."
Thinking ahead to Spring festivals and summer events, Dr. Traxler believes the vaccination rate and the disease transmission rate will play a major role in the guidelines that will be in place then.
"If we can get the numbers down to much more reasonable levels, combined with increasing vaccination rates, then I think the advice regarding large gatherings will begin to evolve and change."