Senate Medical Affairs Committee advances DPH nominee after hours of questioning on COVID-era decisions

The South Carolina Senate Medical Affairs Committee voted to give a favorable report on the nomination of Dr. Simmer to be director of the newly formed Department of Public Health after a lengthy confirmation hearing that focused on the state agency’s COVID‑19-era policies.

The committee’s questioning centered on Simmer’s leadership of DHEC during the pandemic, including aggressive vaccine promotion, support for masking in schools, use of opt‑out forms, and how the agency handled reports of possible contaminants and vaccine side effects. Several senators said those issues bear directly on whether Simmer should lead the state’s public health agency during future emergencies.

The hearing drew sustained questioning from senators on several topics: whether various DHEC outreach and incentive programs—mobile clinics, school‑based clinics and community events—undermined informed consent; why mask guidance changed between May, June and August 2021; whether DHEC followed CDC guidance “lockstep” or adapted recommendations for South Carolina; and what follow‑up DHEC conducted on research presented by University of South Carolina researcher Dr. Buchholz alleging possible DNA contamination in some vials.

Simmer, the nominee and a former U.S. Navy physician, defended the agency’s 2021 decisions as grounded in available evidence at the time and said the agency did not force vaccines or quarantine individuals for COVID‑19. “I have never forced a vaccine on anyone and never would,” Simmer told the committee. He said DHEC provided informed‑consent…