WINNSBORO – While the COVID-19 vaccine is now being made available to health care facilities, long term care facilities and those associated workers under Phase 1A of DHEC’s statewide vaccine distribution system, some Fairfield County employees are also included in the Phase 1A distribution according to Brad Douglas, Fairfield County’s Director of Emergency Management.
“We have been notified that EMS employees will be the first county employees to get the vaccine as soon as it’s made available to us under the Phase 1A distribution,” Douglas said.
“We haven’t been told when we will get it. Right now states are allocated on population,” he said. “We’re getting our processes in place for when it is made available to us. The South Carolina Vaccine Plan is prioritizing by phases. Phase 1A includes first responders who deliver aid. We don’t know for sure when law enforcement and firefighters will get the vaccine, but I would assume soon after EMS.”
While Douglas said he will be the county person who is contacted by DHEC when the vaccine is coming to EMS, he said he hasn’t heard anything yet and that Phase 1A distribution could last from a couple of weeks to a couple of months.