Data will help drive efforts to ensure all South Carolinians have equal access to COVID-19 vaccine

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 15, 2021

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) today launched a new online resource providing information about the age group, gender, race, and ethnicity of those who have received COVID-19 vaccines in South Carolina.

The data within this online resource is considered provisional and subject to change, as it’s based on what providers record about the people they are vaccinating in our state. Some people choose to limit the amount of information they tell a provider, such as their race and ethnicity.

This new demographics dashboard is available by clicking the “COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard” button on the main COVID-19 webpage. The dashboard is updated daily. It’s important for users of the new dashboard to read the “Understanding the Change in Data” document that explains what this demographics information means and doesn’t mean. For example, the information is based on where a person was vaccinated, not where the person lives. 

“It’s key to understand that South Carolina is currently in Phase 1a of our statewide vaccination plan, so the demographic information currently available is largely based on those people who are eligible to receive vaccine in Phase 1a, which was predominantly only healthcare workers until mid-January. It’s not based on the state’s demographic breakdowns as a whole,” said Nick Davidson, DHEC’s Senior Deputy for Public Health.  

About one-fifth of the state’s population is currently eligible to receive their shots: roughly 1.3 million people are within Phase 1a and the state’s total population is roughly 5.2 million. As more vaccine becomes available and more South Carolinians can receive their shots, the demographics dashboard will expand to provide additional information.

“This demographics data is meaningful for several reasons, but most importantly, as more people begin getting their shots in future phases of the vaccine plan, we’ll have a big-picture look at the types of people who may be lagging in receiving their shots,” Davidson said. “Having that information will allow us to directly connect with those communities and ensure they have fair and equal access to vaccines and ensure we as the state’s public health agency have a clear understanding of any limitations and can address those limitations immediately. South Carolina remains dedicated to the fair and equitable distribution of vaccine to everyone.”

For the latest COVID-19 vaccine information, visit scdhec.gov/vaxfacts. For the latest COVID-19 updates, visit schdec.gov/COVID19.

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