While students are enjoying their summer break, health officials continue to urge parents and guardians to get children aged 12 and older a COVID-19 vaccination.
In the weekly South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control briefing, Dr. Johnathan Knoche said, “We speak with the department of education regularly to provide advice and counsel on a variety of topics relating to COVID-19 and safe reopening, and we’ll continue to work with them as they prepare for schools to re-open.”
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DHEC is encouraging parents to include COVID-19 vaccinations when they take students for their back-to-school visit and required vaccinations, said Knoche, the department’s public health medical consultant.
Currently, only the two-dose Pfizer vaccine is approved for children 12 and older.
“It takes about five weeks to achieve full vaccination, so students who are eligible for the vaccine don’t have a lot of time to spare if they want to protect themselves and their friends during the upcoming school year,” said Dr. Brannon Traxler, public health director. “We want all students in South Carolina to focus on learning and not have to worry about COVID-19 when the new school year begins. That can be a reality if enough of them roll up their sleeves and get their shots.”
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In a recent interview, Aiken County School Superintendent King Laurence said they may set up COVID-19 vaccination clinics this summer. Spokeswoman Stephanie Behrendt said there is no update yet, but the Student Services Department is looking into arranging clinics.
Traxler said DHEC anticipates the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will release its guidelines for the 2021-2022 school year within the next few weeks.
“Our goal is to get those guidelines out as quickly as possible,” Traxler added. “In the meantime, we cannot stress how important it is for everyone eligible to get vaccinated before the new school year commences. Parents, teachers, and students deserve the right to attend or visit school without worrying about getting sick.”
In Georgia, the Department of Public Health reports 4,464,215, or 43% of residents, have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. There are 3,956,572, or 38%, are fully vaccinated.
In Richmond County, just over 66,000 have had at least one shot of a vaccine; 59.1% female to 40.8% male.
In Columbia County, nearly 58,000 have received at least one dose. It breaks down to 57.5% female to 42.3% male.
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Gov. Brian Kemp’s public health emergency executive order, first issued in March 2020, expired at midnight on June 30.
He said, “With coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths at all-time lows — and vaccinations on the rise — Georgians are getting back to normal. The people of our state have shown their resilience over the last 16 months, and I am truly grateful to them for the sacrifices they made each and every day to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their fellow Georgians. Now, we must commit to working together to ensure Georgia’s best and brightest days are ahead.”
To that end, the governor issued two new executive orders. One is the COVID-19 Economic Recovery; the second is State Rule Suspension Executive Orders.
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The first is designed to respond to the to the negative economic, supply chain, and healthcare infrastructure impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The second continues various regulatory provisions from the public health state of emergency into the new state of emergency. It includes including provisions related to expanded licensing of medical professionals, unemployment insurance, emergency management designation for medical providers and facilities and vaccine administration.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com.
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