COLUMBIA, S.C. — With the coronavirus vaccine is expected to make its way to South Carolina as early as next week, people still have questions about it.
One person asked News 19 when people can expect the coronavirus vaccine to begin being distributed
We took their question to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) to get the answer.
According to the department, they say vaccines could arrive in South Carolina as early as next week.
The first part of Phase One of the vaccine will be focused on healthcare workers who have the potential to be exposed to the coronavirus and can't work from home.
The second part of Phase One will go to essential workers and those who are at higher risk for the virus at the age of 65 or older.
Phase Two will focus on the remainder of Phase One, critical populations and the general population.
On Thursday morning, Vice President Mike Pence, Governor Henry McMaster and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar met in Greenville to discuss the state's vaccine plan.
While the vaccine will be limited initially, they believe it will be available to everyone in the spring in April or May.
Another viewer sent us a message asking about how much the vaccine will cost.
According to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, they say, "The federal government will cover the cost of the vaccine. It is possible that health care providers may charge an office visit fee, or a fee to administer the vaccine."
The department says health insurance will most likely cover these fees. DHEC will work with other state agencies to figure out insurance related issues to help folks without insurance to receive the vaccine at no cost.
Another person wanted to know where they could find reliable information regarding the vaccine.
Brian Bannister, the Chief Information Security Officer for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, says it's important to know where you're getting your information from.
"First of all, social media is really popular these days and there's a lot of misinformation spread. I tell all of our citizens to get all of your data from the FDA, reliable sources and www.scdhec.gov," said Bannister. "We publish all the information related to the vaccine. Just make sure you're getting that information from those feeds and not necessarily off of Facebook."
If you have any questions related to the vaccine, send an email to news19@wltx.com.