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SC secures providers to expand homebound vaccination services

There’s still work to do before the program is ready to be rolled out statewide.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina is now one step closer to making vaccination services more accessible to homebound residents.

In a Wednesday media briefing, State Epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has now connected with two providers and is preparing to expand services across the state.

“Now that we’re working with Welcome Pharmacy and H&M Labs to expand those services, we will be providing additional information and details to our residents as those efforts expand as to how they can access those homebound services,” Dr. Bell said.

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Credit: Kayland Hagwood, Zoom
Dr. Linda Bell

News of the expansion comes months after the department began hosting a pilot program to vaccinate homebound residents in Hampton and Jasper counties.

For that program, homebound individuals could schedule an appointment for a registered or licensed practical nurse to visit their home and administer the shot.

The nurse would then stay for 15 minutes to monitor for any allergic reaction, as is standard for those receiving the vaccine.

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“We learned from the pilot program in Jasper and Hampton counties that many homebound individuals had already successfully received their vaccinations through the assistance of family and friends,” Dr. Bell said. “We’ve also learned that using the Jansen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine is really an ideal product for this plan since it only requires that single shot and no follow up visits.”

The exact timeline for when the program will begin is unclear, but Dr. Bell did share that they secured contracts with the two providers last week.

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