The head of the joint venture that manages the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site expects the rate of employee COVID-19 vaccinations to go from a trickle to a steady stream in the near future.
“We have about 1,500 folks that have an appointment ready to go for their vaccinations,” within the next couple of weeks, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions President and CEO Stuart MacVean told the South Carolina Nuclear Advisory Council on Monday.
“We probably have 750 to 1,000 folks who have managed to get at least their first vaccination” and that additional 1,500 in the pipeline, MacVean said, adding the Savannah River could hit 3,000 total vaccinations within weeks.
That would represent more than a quarter of the 11,000-member federal and contractor workforce at the DOE facility located near the Georgia line. MacVean said some medical and first responder staff at Savannah River managed to be vaccinated for COVID-19 during the early phases of the South Carolina shot distribution program, and progress is starting to “ramp up” with people younger than 65 becoming eligible, he said.
Michael Budney, manager for the DOE Office of Environmental Management, said more than 2,000 people have contracted COVID-19 since the pandemic began domestically in early 2020. Unfortunately, there have been some fatalities, he said.
The official with Fluor-led Savannah River Nuclear Solutions said about 75% of office workers at the site are working remotely while about a third of the plant workforce at the site are using telework, MacVean said.
