Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Jan. 6

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

Over 4,000 new cases, 71 deaths

At least 306,204 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina since March, and 5,139 have died, according to state health officials.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Wednesday reported 4,037 new COVID-19 cases, upfrom 2,285 reported the day before.

Seventy-one new deaths were reported Wednesday.

As of Wednesday, 30.9% of COVID-19 tests in the state were positive. Health officials have said the number should be closer to 5%.

A record 2,424 people in South Carolina were hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Wednesday.

Health workers urged to schedule vaccination, or lose priority status

Health care workers eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine must either get vaccinated or schedule an appointment to be vaccinated by Jan. 15, or risk losing their priority spot at the front of the line, The State reported.

“It’s like boarding an airplane,” Gov. Henry McMaster said. “When they call your rows, if you don’t get on the plane, you go to the back of the line.”

Previously, state health officials told people eligible in the first phase of the vaccine rollout not to reach out to hospitals, and instead wait to be contacted.

The policy reversal announced Wednesday comes as Gov. Henry McMaster has expressed frustration about the rollout process so far, which he says has been too sluggish.

Carnival cancels fall cruises from SC

Carnival Cruise Line has canceled all fall cruises from South Carolina, The Sun News reported.

This marks the eighth round of cancellations for the company, which also announced it is pausing operations in the U.S. through March 31.

With the coronavirus pandemic still raging, government officials have not granted permission to the cruise line to resume offering trips.

“We are sorry to disappoint our guests, as we can see from our booking activity that there is clearly a pent-up demand for cruising on Carnival. We appreciate their patience and support as we continue to work on our plans to resume operations in 2021 with a gradual, phased in approach,” Carnival president Christine Duffy said in a statement.

Split up DHEC? McMaster supports the idea

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted weaknesses of the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, Gov. Henry McMaster said Tuesday. He wants to see the agency split up and restructured, The State reported.

“What we’ve learned in this episode, I think will be instructive in deciding what to do, how to make DHEC function better, whether it’s one agency, two, or perhaps some different fashion,’’ McMaster said, arguing in part that the agency is too large.

Whether DHEC will be broken up is still an open question, but McMaster isn’t the only one discussing it.

Sen. Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee, introduced legislation that would split up the department and merge its health division with other agencies, and attach its environmental sections to existing natural resource departments.

Governor ‘frustrated’ with speed of vaccine roll-out

COVID-19 vaccine doses are being distributed too slowly, Gov. Henry McMaster said Tuesday, threatening to take executive action if the state health department doesn’t speed up the process.

“We are frustrated and we are determined to eliminate the bottlenecks that are slowing this down,” McMaster said, The State reported.

He said South Carolina will not follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that recommend holding off on phase 2 of the vaccine roll-out until 70% of those in the first phase are inoculated.

Instead, there will be a Jan. 15 deadline for people in the first phase to get vaccinated, or they lose their spot in line, he said.

After COVID recovery, McMaster feels ‘like superman’

McMaster told reporters he feels “like Superman” Tuesday, after recovering from COVID-19.

McMaster recently came out of isolation imposed since he and his wife, Peggy McMaster, tested positive for the coronavirus in late December, The State reported.

“I got just a little tired for a few days,” McMaster said, explaining that he experienced symptoms including cough and fatigue.

McMaster added that his wife is asymptomatic and doing “just fine.”

McMaster lays out plan for $20 million in COVID education aid

McMaster laid out a new plan for $20 million in federal relief funding for education, after South Carolina’s high court twice rejected his attempts to spend the money on private schools.

Under the plan, $7 million would help expand the state’s kindergarten program for 4-year-olds and also go toward summer programs for children from low-income families. Another $5 million would toward upgrading technology and tutoring for children in the foster care system and those living in group homes.

And $8 million would be invested in the state’s Technical College System to help expand job training programs.

Sheriff and wife test positive for COVID-19

Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster and his wife have tested positive for the coronavirus, The State reported.

“I pray we survive,” Foster wrote in a Facebook post. The pair have been experiencing mild symptoms.

Foster, who has been Newberry County’s sheriff since 1988, tested positive Sunday, and his wife learned her diagnosis Monday, according to the post.

Foster said he caught the virus despite wearing a mask and using hand sanitizer, which didn’t surprise him, considering his duties as sheriff mean he’s often around large groups.

“It was bound to happen because of my lifestyle,” he said.

This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 6:50 AM.