On March 2, 2021, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) ANNOUNCED THE STATE WILL ADVANCE TO PHASE 1B OF THE STATE’S COVID-19 VACCINATION PLAN beginning Monday, March 8.
We are pleased higher education has been included in Phase 1b vaccine eligibility and encourage all eligible members of the Clemson family to seek vaccines via the currently available resources. Details of those eligible for Phase 1b, including those over the age of 55 and those working in K-12 schools and colleges, can be found in the “Phase 1b, 1c, 2 Guidance” on the DHEC WEBSITE – scdhec.gov/vaxfacts.
Last week, Clemson conducted a survey of employees in which more than 4,000 respondents said they would be interested in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine if it were provided by the University. With this data in hand, Clemson officials continue to work daily with the DHEC and our primary medical partners to secure vaccine doses and develop a robust vaccination plan for our faculty, staff, and students.
At this time, Clemson University is not a distributor of the vaccine, and we do not know when we might be able to obtain vaccinations either for distribution on our campus or through our medical partners.
Those who are eligible to receive the vaccine are encouraged to do so through other health care providers at the earliest opportunity.Available vaccine providers can be found at HTTPS://VAXLOCATOR.DHEC.SC.GOV/.
Our administration is steadfast in its approach to acquiring as many vaccination doses as needed, but statewide available supply may require a phased approach to distribution. If Clemson should receive some number of vaccination doses fewer than those requested, a stratified list based on a variety of factors will be used. The priority criteria are being developed now and the administration will continue its transparency with the process as it is finalized.
We will continue to provide campus-wide updates as more information becomes available.