Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Sept. 11

We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in South Carolina. Check back for updates.

Number of new daily cases spikes

At least 126,792 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina, and 2,877 have died, according to state health officials.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Friday reported 951 new cases of the virus, a far cry from the 264 new cases reported Thursday.

An additional 53 coronavirus-related deaths were reported Thursday, marking highest daily death toll in South Carolina this month.

The DHEC on Friday calculated a positive test rate of 14.9%, up significantly from a sudden drop to 6% the day before.

USC, Clemson report new cases

The number of positive test results at Clemson University climbed for the second straight week on Friday while the University of South Carolina reported a decline.

Clemson announced 24 new cases in the athletics department, which encompasses 19 student-athletes across nine sports. The university reported 18 positive tests last week, including 14 student-athletes.

USC’s numbers, meanwhile, have dropped off in recent days, The State reported. There were 501 active cases as of Thursday, down from 654 reported Tuesday.

The decline mirrors a drop-off in testing at the university, The State reported.

USC was “forced to pause saliva testing after a ‘key lab staffer’ became ill.” Testing resumed Tuesday at a limited capacity.

Student COVID-19 case count is in

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control released the latest twice-weekly coronavirus case numbers for K-12 schools on Friday, revealing almost 60 more students have tested positive for the virus.

That brings the total number of cases in South Carolina’s schools to 296 — 195 of which are students, The State reported. DHEC reported the remaining 101 cases belong to teachers.

State health officials previously reported 138 COVID-19 cases among students and 95 among teachers.

It’s the first week all school districts in South Carolina have resumed classes, according to The State, but not all are attending in-person classes every day.

DHEC names interim director

Dr. Brannon Traxler, the chief medical officer for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, was named the new interim public health director on Friday.

“I have the utmost confidence in Brannon’s ability to lead the state’s public health efforts during these challenging times,” DHEC’s acting director Marshall Taylor said. “Brannon’s breadth of experience and knowledge in medical practice as a surgeon as well as the Chief Medical Officer for the state’s COVID-19 response, uniquely positions her for this critical role and I look forward to our continued work together.”

The governor announced Thursday that DHEC director Dr. Joan Duwve, who joined the health department in April, is leaving to work for the Ohio Department of Health, The State reported.

Traxler’s appointment is effective immediately, but Duwve will stay with the agency in an advisory role until Oct. 1.

Black neighborhoods in SC at higher risk for COVID-19

A new study by a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit has found residents in Columbia’s historically Black neighborhoods face shorter lifespans and greater risk factors for COVID-19, The State reported.

Those neighborhoods include Waverly, Celia Saxon, Edgewood, Martin Luther King and Lyon Street, where residents are more likely to suffer from asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure than those in whiter neighborhoods nearby.

Jesse Van Tol, CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, said higher rates of infection and deaths “in communities of color” were already known, “but this study gives us a deeper understanding of why,” he said.

The study found modern health disparities correlate to discriminatory housing practices — also known as redlining — that have kept Black residents in segregated neighborhoods since the Jim Crow era, according to The State.

City Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine called the results disheartening.

“This is the result of years of disinvestment in communities of color,” she told The State.

Columbia teacher dies due to COVID-19

A 28-year-old elementary school teacher has died after being infected with COVID-19, Richland County School District 2 officials announced Wednesday.

Demetria Bannister, who taught at Windsor Elementary School in Columbia, died Monday. She had just started her third year of teaching third grade at the school.

“With heavy hearts, (Richland Two) administrators share this information with permission from Ms. Bannister’s parents who wish to remind others about the seriousness of this disease caused by the coronavirus,” spokeswoman Libby Roof said in a release.

The last time Bannister was at the school was Aug. 28, the final teacher workday before the start of the school year.

The district said it has followed all proper procedures since learning Bannister was infected with coronavirus on Sept. 4.

McMaster: SC is ready for vaccine once available

Though a coronavirus vaccine is still likely months away, South Carolina is already prepared to distribute one when it becomes available, Gov. Henry McMaster said Thursday.

White House officials have been expressing hope a vaccine might be available by late October, but McMaster and state health experts had cautious expectations, saying they do not know when a vaccine will be ready.

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked leaders in all 50 states to start preparing for a vaccine. South Carolina has already been doing so for months.

When a vaccine becomes available, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control will be in charge of distributing it, McMaster said.

Federal ‘surge testing team’ coming to Columbia

Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator for the White House’s coronavirus response, said the federal government will be sending a “surge testing team” to the Columbia area to expand COVID-19 testing in the community.

Birx’s comments came during a Thursday visit to Columbia, in which she met with members of the University of South Carolina community.

“We want to ensure that cases are found because people will be enormously responsible if they know that they’re positive and they will do the actions that they need to protect others,” Birx said at a news conference in the USC new Alumni Center. “We just need to make sure that people have the access to testing and we encourage testing.”

The team is expected to arrive later this week or early next week.

Three inmates die from COVID-19 this week

Three inmates at the Broad River Correctional Institution died this week due to COVID-19, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

The three men, Terry Lee Allwine, 61, Paul Earl Jeter, 73, and Sam Harold Smith, 78, all had underlying conditions, according to SCDC. Including them, five have died of the coronavirus at the Broad River facility, and 21 SCDC inmates have died across the state.

This story was originally published September 11, 2020 at 7:43 AM.