Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Jan. 15

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

Record number of deaths reported

At least 341,597 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina since March, and 5,513 have died, according to state health officials.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Friday reported 1,845 new COVID-19 cases, down from 4,809 reported Thursday. Friday’s comparatively low case count is due to an “internal systems error” that has been impacting one of DHEC’s vendors all week.

Ninety-three deaths were reported Friday, the most deaths ever reported in a single day in the state.

As of Friday, 16.5% of COVID-19 tests in the state were positive. Health officials have said the number should be closer to 5%.

At least 2,424 people in South Carolina were hospitalized with the coronavirus Friday.

State allows more people to administer vaccine

State health officials have expanded the pool of people authorized to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to include medical students, unlicensed medical assistants, and retired or inactive nurses, The State reported.

“This order ... proactively puts us in a position to have an increased number of people who can administer vaccine when the vaccine is more widely available to everyone,” DHEC acting director Marshall Taylor said in a statement.

At the time officials announced the order, they could not say how many South Carolina residents fall into the categories now authorized.

SC hospitals will receive ‘significantly less’ vaccine doses than requested

South Carolina hospitals will receive 20% to 25% of the first shot of COVID-19 vaccine doses they requested next week, the Island Packet reported.

The number of first-shot Pfizer vaccine doses delivered to the state will be the same as it has been — 63,000 per week — but hospitals are asking for “four times that amount,” South Carolina Hospital Association president Thornton Kirby announced Friday.

Both Moderna and Pfizer recommend patients receive two separate shots of their vaccines, about three weeks apart.

Hospitals will still receive 100% of the second-shot doses they have requested, Kirby said.

McMaster urges hospitals to cut elective surgeries

Gov. Henry McMaster is calling on the leaders of South Carolina hospitals to reduce non-emergency procedures and divert staff and resources to speeding up COVID-19 vaccination efforts, The State reported.

The move comes as frustrations grow over the pace of South Carolina’s vaccine rollout, and how few people eligible for the vaccine have received it.

At the same time, hospitalizations due to COVID-19 are increasing, further straining hospital staff statewide.

Temporarily reducing elective procedures would free up staff to administer and distribute doses, and “help improve the public’s confidence and participation in our state’s COVID-19 response,” McMaster wrote in a message to Thornton Kirby, head of the South Carolina Hospital Association.

Will SC residents get the COVID vaccine?

South Carolinians’ opinions on the COVID-19 vaccine run the gamut, with many who can’t wait to get inoculated and some who are much more skeptical.

The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette launched a survey asking residents to share their thoughts on the vaccine. They survey got 850 responses.

“Absolutely Not. (Too) dangerous and NOT ENOUGH studies gone into a vaccine that took less (than) a year to come up with. Plus I have MAJOR Allergies,” one person said.

“If Dr. Fauci says the vaccine is safe and effective, I will get one,” said another respondent. “I am 62 and high risk due to autoimmune disease. I trust Dr. Fauci and science. I do not listen to conspiracy theorists or fearmongers.”

To see what 28 other South Carolina residents had to say about the vaccine, read the story here.

Port Royal extends mask mandate

The Port Royal Town Council voted to extend the city’s mask ordinance through Feb. 10, The Island Packet reported.

Under the mandate, people must wear face coverings in public spaces. Children under 12 are exempt from the ordinance, as are individuals with health conditions, and people exercising or performing music.

Violators can be fined up to $50.

This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 6:50 AM.