Cheers! DHEC, SC Brewers Guild partner to offer free beer to COVID vaccine recipients
State health officials are encouraging South Carolinians to raise a glass, and a sleeve, in an effort to boost the state’s flagging COVID-19 vaccination rate.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control on Thursday launched its “Shot and a Chaser” campaign in partnership with the South Carolina Brewers Guild.
The campaign, which is aimed at increasing vaccine uptake in young adults, will reward anyone who gets a COVID-19 shot at select breweries across the state with a free beer or soda, the agency said.
“Brewers across South Carolina are committed to healthy communities,” Brook Bristow, executive director of the Brewers Guild, said in a statement. “As small, locally-minded businesses, our citizens are our most valuable asset. If they aren’t healthy, then we can’t be either. We’re excited to partner with DHEC to expand vaccine access across the state at many of our member breweries as a part of this program.”
South Carolina, like many southern states, has struggled to get shots in residents’ arms and ranks in the bottom 20% of states in its vaccination rate.
As of Thursday, nearly 45% of eligible South Carolinians had received at least one shot and 37% were fully vaccinated. Public health officials have said at least 70% to 80% of the population will need to be vaccinated to reach the goal of herd immunity.
The state has found it particularly challenging to get young adults to roll up their sleeves. The 20-24 age group is the least vaccinated group in the state, making up less than 1% of all vaccinated individuals, according to DHEC data.
DHEC Director Edward Simmer said he hopes the “Shot and a Chaser” initiative will help to change that.
“Young adults are often busy travelers and incredibly social, so we want to make sure they get their shot to protect themselves and others while visiting restaurants, vacationing, and attending various events,” Simmer said in a statement. “This promotion will go a long way in meeting that goal.”
Trained medical professionals will administer the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine at all of the participating breweries. The two-dose Moderna vaccine will be available at some locations as well.
No proof of medical insurance is required to get a COVID-19 shot and anyone who gets the jab will be monitored for at least 15 minutes in case they experience an adverse reaction.
Incentives to get the COVID shot
The rollout of DHEC’s “Shot and a Chaser” program comes amid a federal push to get 70% of U.S. adults at least one vaccine shot by July 4. Roughly 63% of adult Americans have been vaccinated already, including 73% of those age 40 and older, according to the White House.
In furtherance of his Fourth of July goal, President Joe Biden announced plans Wednesday to work with national and community-based organizations, local government leaders, businesses, colleges and volunteers across the nation to incentivize vaccination, ramp up outreach efforts and make it easier for people to get vaccinated.
As part of the initiative, several retail pharmacy chains, including CVS, Walgreens and Rite-Aid, will extend vaccination hours on Friday nights in June and four of the nation’s largest childcare providers will offer free child care to all parents and caregivers while they get vaccinated or recover from vaccination.
Thousands of businesses across the country are offering product giveaways to vaccinated individuals and some states have launched programs to incentivize vaccinations.
In Ohio, for example, vaccinated adults are entered in $1 million lottery drawings and children who get the jab have a chance to win full scholarships to state colleges and universities.
West Virginia, which already was offering young people a $100 savings bond to get stuck, announced this week it would begin holding drawings where vaccinated residents could win guns, trucks and weekend getaways, among other prizes.
South Carolina has been working on several vaccine incentive programs of its own over the past month, but the “Shot and a Chaser” initiative is the first to launch.
State health officials are working on a plan to set up COVID-19 vaccination booths at state parks and offer free park access to anyone who gets a shot on site, but have yet to sort out the logistical details, said DHEC spokeswoman Laura Renwick.
“We want to make sure these folks who receive a shot at a park will have an easy and convenient way to get their second shot, since a lot of people might be visiting a park that’s not necessarily near where they live,” she said.
South Carolina’s House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, D-Richland, also has put forward a proposal to award cash prizes to vaccine recipients, but it’s not clear whether that will come to pass when the Legislature finalizes the budget that starts July 1.
“The only way that we’re going to get back to normal and the fastest way to get back to normal is by increasing the percentage of persons in this state that are vaccinated,” said Rutherford, who this week proposed attaching a measure to the state budget that would allow the state Lottery to spend up to $2 million to operate a cash prize program for vaccinated residents.
State health officials have expressed lukewarm interest in offering strictly monetary incentives to vaccine recipients, but cash handouts aren’t necessarily off the table.
Below is a list of breweries teaming with DHEC, as well as dates and times these locations are offering the COVID-19 vaccine:
DHEC and S.C. Brewers Guild Upcoming ‘Shot and a Chaser’ Events
Upstate (Janssen and Modern shots available at all locations)
Thursday, June 10: Keowee Brewing in Seneca from 4-8 p.m.
Friday, June 11: Pendleton Brewing in Pendleton from 4-8 p.m.
Friday, June 11: Fireforge Crafted Beer in Greenville from 4-8 p.m.
Friday, June 11: Ciclops Cyderi and Brewery in Spartanburg from 4-8 p.m.
Saturday, June 12: Birds Fly South Ale Project in Greenville from 2-6 p.m.
Saturday, June 12: Ciclops Cyderi and Brewery in Spartanburg from 2-6 p.m.
Lowcountry (Janssen only at this time)
Thursday, June 10: Holy City Brewing in Charleston from 3-6 p.m.
Friday, June 11: Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company in Charleston from 3-6 p.m.
Saturday, June 12: Tradesman Brewing Company in Charleston from 3-6 p.m.
Thursday, June 17: Palmetto Brewing Company in Charleston from 4-7 p.m.
Thursday, June 17: Tideland Brewing in North Charleston from 4-7 p.m.
Friday, June 18: Commonhouse Aleworks in North Charleston from 4-7 p.m.
Wednesday, June 23: Victor Hoppenstein’s Brewlab in Charleston from 4-7 p.m.
Friday, June 25: Low Tide Brewing on Johns Island from 3-6 p.m.
Friday, June 25: Cooper River Brewing in Charleston from 4-7 p.m.
Midlands (Janssen and Moderna shots available at both locations)
Friday, June 11: River Rat Brewery in Columbia from 3-7 p.m.
Friday, June 18: Lore Brewing in Indian Land from 3-7 p.m.
Pee Dee (Janssen only at this time)
Friday, June 11: Seminar Brewing in Florence from 4-9 p.m.
Saturday, June 12: Tidal Creek Brewhouse in Myrtle Beach from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Reporter Joseph Bustos contributed to this article.
