S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster will review a bill proposed by state lawmakers to spend $208 million on a vaccine allocation plan. The Senate approved the bill last week in a 40-1 vote. The House previously passed a similar bill, but moved to unanimously approve the amended version on Tuesday.
The money will be used to administer vaccines, boost testing, increase PPE supplies and cover other vaccine-related expenses.
The funds will be divvied up between the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), the Medical University of South Carolina and a reserve account intended to provide aid to hospitals and other vaccine providers.
Lawmakers continue to debate when teachers should be permitted to receive vaccinations as supplies are still limited and shipments were delayed this week due to severe weather.
On Thursday, DHEC announced 1,451 new cases. Out of 21,491 tests, 10% were positive. An additional 32 deaths were reported as well. Though cases has been on the decline, infectious disease specialist Dr. Helmut Albrecht told a Columbia news outlet that the state is seeing a slower decrease in cases than other areas of the country.
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