Only 1 in 5 people in South Carolina are vaccinated against the flu as the virus continues to fill doctors’ offices and hospitals. But with the holidays now in full swing, it is a good time to get a shot and get protected, doctors say.
With a heavy early surge of flu, the worst start to the season in a decade, only 21.2 percent of the Palmetto State’s population had received their seasonal vaccination, about 1.1 million people, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
That includes only 14.5 percent of children and 14.9 percent of adults under age 65. Nearly half of seniors — 49 percent — were vaccinated, DHEC reported. Those low rates can have consequences, particularly for kids, said Dr. Elizabeth Mack, chief of pediatric critical care at Medical University of South Carolina.
Just over 1 in 5 people in South Carolina have been vaccinated against the flu as the state faces down an early surge that is the worst start to flu season in a decade. https://t.co/S9qUi1wCRN
— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) November 25, 2022