At the start of its vaccine rollout, South Carolina stipulated that 70% of eligible healthcare workers and nursing home residents needed to be vaccinated before moving on to the next priority groups. But by early January, local hospitals said not all healthcare workers were taking advantage of the available doses, and some vaccines appointments remained empty.
On January 5, Gov. Henry McMaster told healthcare workers they had 10 days to get a shot or "move to the back of the line."
South Carolina has administered fewer than 2,300 doses for every 100,000 residents, according to the CDC, but some hospital officials say that data could be behind.
Patrick Cawley, vice president for health affairs at the Medical University of South Carolina, told The State that the federal government's reporting system was slowing down his center's ability to record vaccinations in real time. Indeed, for many states, the number of reported vaccinations typically lags 24 to 72 hours behind those that have actually been administered.