Don’t throw away your shot. Where to get a free COVID vaccine in Columbia this week

With COVID-19 cases climbing again after a springtime decline, this week will see a renewed push to get people vaccinated.

The city of Columbia is partnering with local hospitals to host a free vaccine clinic for residents to get their jab to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

On Tuesday, the Pfizer vaccine is being distributed by Prisma Health at the Drew Wellness Center, 2101 Solomon Way off Harden Street. The clinic will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Anyone 12 and up is eligible for the vaccine.

On Thursday, Lexington Medical Center will be distributing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at Drew Wellness from 1 to 4 p.m. Doses of the Pfizer vaccine will also be available for anyone 12 and up.

If you don’t get your shot this week, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control will be distributing all three COVID-19 vaccines — Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson — on four dates in August, all running from 1 to 5 p.m.

▪ at Hyatt Park, 930 Jackson Ave., on Aug. 5.

▪ at Martin Luther King Park, 2300 Greene St., on Aug. 11.

▪ at Melrose Park, 1500 Fairview Drive, on Aug. 24.

▪ at Woodland Park, 6500 Olde Knight Parkway, on Aug. 26.

South Carolina has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country. It’s the 41st most vaccinated state, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was announced last week that 50% of the state’s eligible population has received at least one COVID shot, even as infections and hospitalizations are beginning to rise, especially among younger people who are among the least likely to be vaccinated.