More than 1.8 million South Carolinians now have first dose of COVID-19 vaccine

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By HEATHER WALTERS 

The Colleton Health Department will offer a first-dose vaccination clinic against COVID-19 on March 31st for Colleton residents listed in the Phase1B group. This group is for anyone age 55 or older, for frontline workers with increased risk to catching COVID-19, for people who have direct patient care, for individuals who have close contact with the healthcare community and for anyone who has an increased risk for being exposed to the virus. 

The March 31st clinic begins at 7:30 a.m. and will last until 7:15 p.m. Anyone wanting to make an appointment for the first dose of the vaccine at this time can go to https://cvas.dhec.sc.gov. 

A second dose appointment will be made at this clinic 28 days later. 

As Colleton officials continue to get more people vaccinated against the respiratory virus, state leaders are transitioning into the next vaccination phase that will allow more people to receive the vaccine. 

Starting March 31st, all South Carolina residents age 16 old or older can receive the COVID-19 vaccine. “Our priority with the vaccine has been to save the lives of those at the greatest risk of dying. By staying the course and resisting distractions, we’ve expanded South Carolinians’ access and eligibility for vaccinations faster than originally anticipated,” said S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster, in a press release provided by S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. 

“Thanks to the tremendous efforts of our state’s health care professionals, we are now able to make the vaccine available to anyone who wants it, and to do so ahead of schedule,” he said. 

The Palmetto State entered into its current Phase1B of the vaccination plan on March 8th. Since then, DHEC officials are reporting that vaccine providers have administered an average of 23,323 doses per day, totaling 419,816 administered doses since March 8th. 

In all, DHEC and other vaccine providers have administered a total of 1,818,939 doses of vaccine to South Carolina residents, with more than 1.6 million state residents having already received their first dose of the two-dose vaccine. 

As of press deadline, approximately 15 percent of South Carolina’s population has been fully vaccinated, according to SCHDEC. 

Colleton County Vaccination Sites

In addition to the Colleton County Health Department, other vaccination sites in Colleton County are: 

Walgreens, located at 1326 N. Jefferies Blvd. in Walterboro. You can register for the vaccine at https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19. 

CVS, located at 555 Robertson Blvd. in Walterboro. You can register by going to their Web site at www.cvs.com. 

Walterboro Pharmacy LLC, located at 1315 N. Jefferies Blvd. in Walterboro. Call the pharmacy at 843-782-4050 to receive an appointment for the vaccine. 

Walterboro Family Care, located at 457 Spruce Street in Walterboro. Call their office at 843-781-7428 to register for the vaccine. 

As of press deadline, there have been 2,541 total cases of COVID-19 in Colleton County. Seventy-five of these cases are listed as being “current,” according to Colleton County officials.