How to get a monkeypox vaccine in Horry and Georgetown counties and who qualifies

Chase Karacostas
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More and more cities across the nation are scrambling to combat growing monkeypox outbreaks and demand for vaccines, from New York City to Charlotte. And last Thursday, the federal government declared monkeypox an official public health emergency.

The wave of cases of a new-to-the-U.S. virus feels reminiscent of the early days of COVID-19, which struck major cities first before flooding into Myrtle Beach during the summer as travelers let their guard down.

What’s different this time, however, is an approved vaccine for monkeypox already exists — and that vaccine is effective after exposure to a confirmed positive case of the virus if administered quickly enough.

Here’s how monkeypox, also known as MPX, is spread:

  • The primary way of catching the virus is through prolonged skin-to-skin or face-to-face contact with someone who has the virus, particularly if they have open sores or lesions from the virus.

  • The virus can also spread through the air but only after a long exposure over several hours. Being in an elevator, for example, would likely not spread the virus.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has yet to detect any cases of monkeypox in the Grand Strand or the broader Pee Dee region. However, health officials are encouraging anyone exposed to the virus or at risk of catching it to go ahead and get vaccinated.

Here are the steps to do that in Horry and Georgetown counties.

1. Call the state health department’s CARE line

The monkeypox vaccine won’t be available at local doctors’ offices or pharmacies. Because of limited supply, the state health department is administering all of the shots through its local offices in each county.

Anyone with concerns that they are at risk or might have been exposed can call the state health department’s CARE line, 1-855-472-3432, for more information and to make an appointment for a shot.

2. Find out if you’re eligible

When a caller contacts the health department’s CARE line, a health official will ask a series of questions that will determine eligibility for the vaccine.

There are two ways someone can be eligible. The first form of eligibility is if that person has been exposed to a confirmed positive case of monkeypox. Anyone who has been exposed is eligible to get the vaccine if it is soon after exposure, which can greatly reduce the chances of actually developing an infection.

For those who have not been exposed, there are three questions that will be asked. If the answer is “yes” to all three, then you are eligible to get the vaccine as a precaution.

  • Are you an adult over 18?

  • Are you gay, trans, queer or gender-nonconforming and have sex with other men?

  • Have you had multiple sexual partners in the last 14 days?

Members of this demographic group are at the highest risk of catching monkeypox right now because most of the cases so far have been in the LGBTQ+ community.

However, public health researchers, South Carolina state epidemiologist Linda Bell and doctors have stressed again and again that anyone can catch this virus. It will not stay solely within the queer community.

3. Where to go

In Horry and Georgetown counties, vaccines likely will be administered at the local health department office.

This could mean going to the public health department clinics in Conway (1931 Industrial Park Road), Myrtle Beach (700 21st Ave. North) or Georgetown (531 Lafayette Circle).

However, make sure to schedule an appointment by calling the state health department CARE line in advance. When the appointment is made, the health department will also say which specific clinic will be administering the vaccine. The state health department requests that people do not just show up without an appointment in hopes of getting the vaccine, in part because only select health department clinics have the vaccine.

“Calling the CARE Line allows us to interview residents and determine if they are eligible for the vaccine,” the department said in a statement. “This process cannot be completed at a local health department. In the event someone without an appointment visits a health department, we would ask them to please complete the interview process at home.”

4. A possible second appointment

Because South Carolina has had low demand for the vaccine so far, the health department has been scheduling follow-up appointments for a second dose.

The shot, Jynneos, is normally administered in a two-dose series; however, many places, including New York City and the United Kingdom, where monkeypox was first noticed this year, are only administering one shot to protect as many people as possible.

Bell, the South Carolina state epidemiologist, said the state is currently planning to do both doses but could end up stretching out the period between them beyond the usual 30 days if supplies run low.

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