COLUMBIA, S.C. — The first cornavirus vaccine doses have arrived in South Carolina, as the state gets ready to embark on a massive vaccination process in the coming weeks and months.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster confirmed the news on social media Monday afternoon.
"Our frontline healthcare workers have sacrificed so much for our people this year," he wrote. "Now, we’ve received the first shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine and medical professionals across the state will begin receiving doses soon. We are witnessing American ingenuity at its finest!"
The vaccine is the one created by Pfizer that received emergency use authorization Friday night.
Already, some states have begun vaccinations. All over America there have been images of shipments arriving and healthcare workers receiving doses.
The state's health agency, DHEC, said they have enrolled 307 provider locations and 56 of those are expected to be active this week. They expected 43,000 doses to be in the state by Wednesday.
Shipments of the Pfizer vaccine will set in motion the biggest vaccination effort in American history at a critical juncture of the pandemic that has killed 1.6 million and sickened 71 million worldwide.
As has been stated by national and South Carolina health leaders, the shot will be first give to health care workers on the front line and people staying at nursing homes. The Medical University of South Carolina, the hospital located in Charleston, said they expect to begin giving doses to their workers Tuesday.
DHEC has said they expect to get 200,000 to 300,000 doses by the end of this year, although that number could change.
The vaccine requires two doses separated by three weeks. The state is responsible for the first doses while the CDC would give the second booster shot.
State health leaders have said the vaccine will be rolled out in stages, with the Phase 1a beginning this week in the state. It could be April or May before the vaccine is available to anyone who wants it, regardless of medical condition or risk of exposure due to their job.
While the vaccine was determined to be safe, regulators in the U.K. are investigating several severe allergic reactions. The FDA’s instructions tell providers not to give it to those with a known history of severe allergic reactions to any of its ingredients.
Another vaccine by Moderna will be reviewed by an expert panel next week and soon afterward could be allowed for public use.