Charleston Co. School Board chair gets COVID-19 vaccine to show confidence

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston County School Board Chair Rev. Dr. Eric Mack received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday.

Mack works at the Medical University of South Carolina and wanted to get the vaccine publicly to show school staff his confidence in it.

“It’s a safety measure to help keep our communities and schools safe,” he said. “I’m encouraging all of our staff to please engage into this practice and get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Mack added that he “did not feel a thing” when the nurse administered the shot. He’s set to get the second dose of the vaccine next month.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control says the state is outpacing several neighboring states and the nation as a whole when it comes to the number of vaccines given compared with the number of available doses the state received.

As of Wednesday, South Carolina has used roughly 31% of the vaccine doses it has received. The national average stands at 19%, based on the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.