COLUMBIA, S.C. — The White House is partnering with the State of South Carolina to set up a major vaccination site in Columbia.
An agreement between the Biden White House and the State of South Carolina will convert a portion of Columbia Place Mall on Two Notch Road into a Community Vaccination Center (CVC) by mid-April.
According to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), the Type III CVC will deliver up to 7,000 doses of vaccine per week for eight weeks.
Federal teams have already been deployed to work with state and local jurisdictions, and the site is expected to be up and running by Wednesday, April 14.
According to DHEC, as of right now, more than 2.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across the state. More than 1.3 million South Carolinians have had at least one shot and more than 784,000 residents are fully vaccinated.
Dr. Edward Simmer, DHEC Director, said in a statement, "Efforts like the Columbia Place Mall vaccine center are helping us strengthen our efforts as we work to ensure every South Carolinian has an opportunity to receive the vaccine."
The doses used at the site will be federal doses provided by FEMA, and will not affect distribution to other providers across the county.
This site was identified through the CDC's Social Vulnerability Index, which takes into consideration socioeconomic status, household income, minority status, languages and transportation. DHEC identified Richland County as having a high vaccine demand.
With a population of over 408,000, the vaccination rate currently stands at about 30% in Richland County. The county has a poverty rate of 16.3%. 13.2% of the county's population has a disability. 11.9% of population is over 65 years old and 7% of households do not have a vehicle.
The site will begin administering vaccines next Wednesday, April 14th.