SC lawmakers advance $208 million for vaccine rollout

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The lawmakers who write South Carolina’s budget voted Monday afternoon to advance a $208 million coronavirus pandemic relief bill to speed up COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

The Department of Health and Environmental Control, hospitals and other vaccine providers would split the funds to help cover the costs of testing, vaccinations and other expenses.

Health officials have said a primary limiting factor to getting shots in arms faster is that the state only gets about 63,000 first doses weekly.

The agency says it will have a new call center to address vaccine questions up and running this week.

DHEC is also creating a centralized statewide platform people can use to schedule vaccine appointments.