In May, House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford (D-Richland) spoke for all South Carolinians when he pushed for a state vaccine lottery to incentivize COVID-19 vaccination.
“I think the message of the State of South Carolina should be clear,” said Rutherford. “Get vaccinated: protect yourself, protect those around you, and you just might win a million dollars.”
And what did Governor Henry McMaster say in response to this innovative solution to one of the biggest health threats in U.S. history? Through a spokesperson, McMaster dismissed the vaccine lottery.
“South Carolinians have been given all available information about the vaccine and that is all they need in order to make this decision.”
But now, months later, South Carolina is in a much different place than it was when Rutherford initially suggested a vaccine lottery. With the prominence of the delta variant, COVID-19 has reemerged in a much more contagious form, and the state’s current infection rate is now “eerily similar” to August of 2020.
According to DHEC, South Carolina experienced 14,864 new cases of COVID-19 in just one week between August 9th and 13th. That means almost 3,000 new cases were reported each day along with 67 additional deaths that week.
The current spread of COVID-19 is especially concerning as South Carolina’s completed vaccination rate sits at an abysmal 45.8% of the total population. COVIDActNow lists the state’s risk level as Very High with a 14.1% positive test rate.
This time last year, vaccines were unavailable to the general population. But now that everyone 12 and older is eligible for the vaccine, there is no good reason that South Carolina should be experiencing such high rates of infection with stagnant rates of vaccination.
There are times when leadership means taking bold and innovative action. How many more South Carolinians could have been vaccinated since May? How many lives could have been saved? Where would we be as a state if our leaders had listened to Representative Rutherford rather than Governor McMaster’s spokesperson?
Representative Rutherford is usually right when it comes to innovative solutions for South Carolina’s problems. Whether it’s expanding gaming laws to boost tourism and create thousands of new jobs or advocating for medical cannabis, the Richland representative always speaks clearly from a bipartisan perspective on issues important to all South Carolinians. In reality, he says what most of us are thinking out loud.
In the end, though, it’s not just about reconsidering Rutherford’s vaccine lottery — it’s about thinking outside of McMaster’s limited box to protect South Carolina families and save lives. Rutherford was right, but now it’s time for the legislature and Governor to learn from their mistakes and finally right some wrongs. That means taking bold and immediate action to incentivize vaccinations for South Carolinians who remain hesitant due to failures of leadership.
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