The State: New drive-thru site for COVID-19 vaccinations set up in Lexington County

February 9, 2021

Eligible South Carolina residents have a new location in Lexington County to receive COVID-19 vaccinations — and they don’t have to get out of their cars.

Nephron Pharmaceuticals partnered with Dominion Energy to launch a drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination site in West Columbia, Nephron officials said in a news release.

Starting Monday, vaccinations are being offered by appointment only at the site, which is planned to operate Monday-Friday, officials said. Appointments must be scheduled through the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

For those who qualify through DHEC, there is no charge for the Moderna vaccine, officials said. Through Sunday, 71,096 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in South Carolina, data shows.

“I am so proud to be a part of a powerful private sector partnership that is going to have an immediate impact on the community, region, and state we all love so much,” Nephron CEO Lou Kennedy said in the release. “Partnerships like this are going to make our entire nation stronger on the other side of the pandemic.”

The drive-thru is located on Dominion Energy property off exit 2 of Interstate 77, which is the exit for the 12th Street Extension. Signs direct drivers toward the vaccination site, officials said.

Nephron registered nurses and pharmacists will administer vaccinations, with assistance from Nephron CLIA-certified diagnostics lab employees, according to the release.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to join Nephron in giving back, saving lives and helping return our state to normal,” said Keller Kissam, Dominion Energy South Carolina president of electric operations, said in the release.

Nephron is also offering COVID-19 testing at the drive-thru site, according to the release. While vaccinations are by appointment only, tests for the coronavirus are open to the public, officials said.

After opening a lab for COVID-19 tests last year, Nephron has performed thousands of screenings across South Carolina, according to the release.

Results from the tests are delivered within 24-48 hours, according to the release. Although the vaccinations are free, there is a $120 charge for COVID-19 tests, officials said.

Nephron’s lab has “state-of-the-art technology for COVID-19 real-time PCR testing and serological antibody testing,” according to the release.

In addition to its efforts to battle the coronavirus, Nephron is a West Columbia-based company that “develops and produces safe, affordable generic inhalation solutions and suspension products,” according to the release.

Since testing began in March 2020, there have been 412,996 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in South Carolina, according to DHEC. Of the positive tests, 22,302 were reported in Lexington County, data shows.
 

Read the entire story at The State.