Gamecock Park, the university-owned tailgate lot by Williams-Brice Stadium, is usually the home to rowdy fans that are raring to watch their University of South Carolina Gamecocks take the field on Saturdays.
Since Jan. 17, however, it has housed the largest vaccination clinic in the state.
Thanks to a partnership between UofSC and Prisma Health, this clinic has been averaging between 1,000 and 2,000 vaccinations per day, and now that patients aged 65 and older can get vaccinated with or without an appointment, they expect that number to more than double.
Five thousand vaccinations a day is the goal of the clinic at Gamecock Park, but Prisma has higher goals for the state total. Prisma officials say they would like to be averaging 10,000 vaccinations a day by the end of February, and front line health care workers think it’s possible.
“(We) can truly attribute that (goal) to the leadership and our amazing team members and volunteers out here,” said Cassidy Kemp, a second-year pharmacy student and Prisma front line worker. “These sites have been wonderful for our patients.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, South Carolina was ranked close to last for total vaccinations in the country. Now, thanks to clinics like the one at Gamecock Park, the state is sitting close to the top and there isn’t a plan to stop soon.
The healthcare workers and volunteers at the clinic at Gamecock Park have done everything they possibly can to vaccinate those that are eligible, and with the recent elimination of appointments and virtual scheduling, both the patients and workers are finding it easier to do what’s necessary.
Gamecock Park is administering around 1,000-2,000 vaccinations a day.
