South Carolina DHEC officials: Risk of death should determine vaccine priority

The state's top public health officials indicated Wednesday moving teachers and daycare workers into Phase 1a, as state lawmakers are leaning toward through legislation, would make it harder for people "more at risk" to get their COVID-19 vaccine.

"These are very difficult decisions," State Epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said during a media briefing. With there still not being enough vaccine allocated weekly from the federal government to satiate the demand for the shots, Bell said the "No. 1 priority is to save lives."

She said the phased rollout of the vaccine in South Carolina has been to allow the state's older population to access the vaccine first, along with frontline health care workers, because those aged 65 and older have been the largest demographic of deaths.

There are about 1.3 million people eligible to receive a shot in South Carolina in Phase 1a, and there have been about 470,000 first doses administered, said Nick Davidson, state Department of Health and Environmental Control deputy of public health.

"If we're to save lives, it's all about vaccinating those people who are at most risk," he said during the briefing.

Davidson said it is estimated there are about 150,000 people who would be added once teachers and daycare workers become eligible, a group of essential workers currently included in Phase 1b.

While new daily cases have dropped from holiday highs that reached records at the beginning of January, they are still at levels that indicate community spread. More than 1,500 new cases were reported by DHEC on Wednesday with 39 more deaths.

Almost a year into the pandemic's impact in South Carolina, nearly 418,000 have tested positive for the virus, and more than 6,900 have died.

In Sumter County, 7,855 have tested positive and 135 have died, while Clarendon County has recorded 2,380 cases and 86 deaths, and Lee County has had 1,500 positive cases and 48 deaths.