Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Oct. 18
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases top 157,000
At least 157,394 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina, and 3,439 have died, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Sunday reported 722 new COVID-19 cases, down from 810 the day before.
Twelve coronavirus-related deaths were reported Sunday.
The percentage of positive COVID-19 tests on was 10.3% as of Sunday. Health officials have said that number should be 5% or lower.
On Sunday, 716 patients in state hospitals had COVID-19, including 186 in intensive care and 97 on ventilators.
Officials break up large party during football game
Officials broke up a party with at least 2,000 people at a Columbia apartment complex during Saturday’s University of South Carolina football game.
Most attendees gathered at the complex, whose website says it’s “designed with students in mind,” were violating social distancing mandates in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 and were not wearing masks, Columbia Fire Department spokesperson Mike DeSumma told The State on Sunday.
When firefighters arrived at the complex after getting call about a medical emergency, some reportedly threw bottles at first repsonders.
“There were so many people there that our responders had trouble getting in,” DeSumma told The State. “If we had come out for a fire or an emergency situation it would have been impossible to get in.”
The fire department had to call the party an imminent danger to disperse the crowd, DeSumma said, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and USC Police Department assisted.
Nursing home death rate highest in country: study
South Carolina ranked highest in a state-by-state comparisons of COVID-19 deaths per 100 nursing home residents for a recent one-month period, according to a study from the AARP and other health groups.
The state was also close to the highest in COVID-19 cases per 100 nursing home residents, the study found.
The study covered five areas: death rates, case rates, PPE, nursing home staff infection rates and staffing shortages.
South Carolina had slightly higher than average deficiencies than other states in terms of PPE, nursing home staff infection rates and staffing shortages
“No state has done a good enough job to stem the loss of life” in nursing homes, AARP said a news release.
State vaccination plan
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control released a distribution plan that will determine who gets vaccinated first in the state when a COVID-19 shot is available to the public as experts have said it will be in short supply at first.
“Not everyone who wants a vaccine initially will be able to get one. When the vaccine is first available, those limited supplies will be reserved for those who are at highest risk of either getting COVID-19, being exposed to it or potentially spreading it, as well as other critical infrastructure workers,” state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said.
Health care workers are at the front of the line followed by “people who play a crucial role in sustaining essential functions of society running and cannot socially distance in the workplace ... and people at increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness, including people 65 years of age or older,” Bell said.
After that is phase 2, which essentially opens availability to everybody. But that won’t happen until manufacturing has caught up with demand and there are enough doses being produced for widespread distribution. Phase 3 will increase access even further through public health events.
Bell offered no timelines regarding when to expect each phase to begin.
“It’s entirely dependent on the progress with the availability of various vaccine products, and the amount of the inventory that will be made available to the state,” Bell said, adding that the federal government will be in control over how many doses are granted to each state.
Myrtle Beach has spike in COVID-19 cases after dance event
The deaths of two musicians and scores of newly reported COVID-19 cases are heightening concerns that a recent shag dancing event in North Myrtle Beach may have contributed to an outbreak.
The event in question was resurrected, informally, by Duck’s Night Life after the national organization that stages the Society of Stranders’ Fall Migration Festival canceled plans due to COVID-19 concerns.
At least 14 people who have recently tested positive for COVID-19 did so in the days after they attended the Shaggin’ On Main event, the name Duck’s Night Life gave to the shag dancing festival, The Sun News reports.
SC schools see record coronavirus spike
There have been 206 new coronavirus cases in South Carolina K-12 schools since Tuesday, when the state Department of Health and Environmental Control last shared school figures. DHEC reports new coronavirus case counts in schools twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday.
Figures reported Friday mark the biggest COVID-19 spike in SC schools since the school year began.
Since classes resumed, 1,483 students and school staff have tested positive for the coronavirus, with students accounting for 1,038 of the total, and employees making up 445.
This story was originally published October 18, 2020 at 10:08 AM.
