COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Jan. 26
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and COVID-19 vaccines in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases surpass 381,000 as vaccine rollout continues
At least 381,812 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina since March, and 5,944 have died, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Tuesday reported 1,993 new COVID-19 cases, down from 2,736 the day before. Tuesday marks the first time since late December that officials have reported fewer than 2,000 new cases in a day.
Twenty-four additional deaths were reported Tuesday.
As of Tuesday, more than 21% of COVID-19 tests were positive. Health officials have said that number should be closer to 5% to control the spread of the virus.
At least 2,173 people were hospitalized in South Carolina with the coronavirus on Tuesday.
As of Tuesday, South Carolina had received 632,100 total doses of COVID-19 vaccine and administered 281,277 doses, according to the DHEC.
Myrtle Beach Marathon postponed due to COVID
Citing coronavirus safety concerns, organizers behind the Myrtle Beach Marathon announced they are postponing the March 6 event, and rescheduling it for May 1, The Sun News reported.
The decision comes after a city council meeting Tuesday.
“Following our most recent discussion with the City of Myrtle Beach and our medical partners at Grand Strand Medical Center, it has been determined that we will not have access to the medical resources required to safely produce the event on March 6th due to the strain placed on them from COVID-19,” a statement from the Capstone Event Group read.
DHEC plans to ration COVID vaccine doses
With demand for COVID-19 vaccine doses outpacing supply, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control has decided to begin rationing vaccine doses to counties on a per capita basis, The State reported.
Officials will discuss the plan more thoroughly in a Feb. 11 meeting, and will spend the time until then fleshing out the details.
The per capita plan was selected over a different model that prioritized factors like age, race and socioeconomic status.
“I think (at the next board meeting) we can come back with data to show you where the doses are being used, who’s using them and better information,” acting director Marshall Taylor told the board Tuesday. “And based on that you might decide to make a change then, too. But at least we have a path now of where we’re going and I think that will help the entire state from a planning perspective.”
SC legislators to consider COVID vaccine funding bill
The House will soon debate a bill calling for $208 million to improve and expand South Carolina’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, The State reported.
Passed in committee Monday, the funds would go toward hospital staffing and equipment, transportation, storage, technology, and various other areas related to distributing and administering vaccines.
“We must ensure citizens are receiving the vaccine as quickly, efficiently and effectively as possible, ultimately saving lives — all things that have not been happening,” Speaker Jay Lucas said in a statement. “I plan to have the full House of Representatives address this measure as quickly as possible. I hope for swift consideration by the Senate. Time is of the essence.”
The money would be split three ways under the bill: $63 million for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, $45 million to the Medical University of South Carolina, and $100 million to a vaccine reserve account.
Hospitals statewide would be able to use up to $75 million of the reserve account money, with the remaining $25 million available to other vaccine providers.
15 Walmart, Sam’s Club locations in SC offering vaccine. Here’s where
Pharmacies at 15 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in South Carolina are offering the COVID-19 vaccine, the Island Packet reports.
Appointments are filled through Sunday this week. Walmart is launching a scheduling tool on Feb. 1 to allow users to check for appointment openings.
Look for the tool here: https://www.walmart.com/cp/1228302
The 13 Walmart locations are as follows:
4 Bluffton Road in Bluffton
115 Rolling Hills Circle in Easley
230 N. Beltline Drive in Florence
500 N. Dobys Bridge Road in Fort Mill
1310 N. Fraser St. in Georgetown
922 E. Main St. in Laurens
541 Seaboard St. in Myrtle Beach
1041 Edgefield Road in North Augusta
4920 Centre Pointe Drive in North Charleston
2795 North Road in Orangeburg
2151 E. Main St. in Spartanburg
1616 Central Ave. in Summerville
2401 Augusta Road in West Columbia
The two Sam’s Club locations are at:
5426 Forest Drive in Columbia
1211 Woodruff Road in Greenville
York County jail reports outbreak
At least 47 inmates and three detention officers at the York County jail have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said Monday.
The entire jail was tested after an inmate tested positive on Jan. 18, York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson said.
The 47 who tested positive are now in a 14-day quarantine in a single housing unit. Another 27 jailers and staff are also in quarantine after they were possibly exposed to the virus, The Rock Hill Herald reported.
Spokesperson Trent Faris said some of the inmates who tested positive are showing symptoms but others are asymptomatic. He said he didn’t know how they contracted the virus.
“We may never be sure how the positive cases happened,” Faris said.
Myrtle Beach hospitals plan to give vaccinations 7 days a week
Tidelands Health and Conway Medical Center are working on plans to administer the coronavirus vaccine seven days a week as hospitals struggle to meet demand with a limited supply.
Tidelands has administered more than 5,300 doses and transferred another 2,000 to Conway Medical Center. Brian Argo, chief financial officer at Conway Medical Center, said the extra doses have allowed the distribution site to stay open every day of the week.
There are more than 30,000 people on the waiting list for a vaccine appointment at Tidelands Health, Chief Operating Officer Gayle Resetar told the Myrtle Beach Sun News. Conway Medical Center, meanwhile, has about 20,000 appointment requests.
Health officials say it’s a struggle to provide vaccines while the number of COVID-19 cases spikes.
“It’s absolutely a crisis,” Resetar said. “It’s very, very challenging for the workforce.”
Grand Strand Health also announced Monday it will begin vaccinating adults ages 70 and older, the Sun News reported. Residents can make an appointment through Vaccine Administration Management Services or on the hospital’s website.
Sheriff urges people to get tested after false positive
Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 29, forcing him to quarantine for 10 days before he could take an antibody test.
But that test showed he had no antibodies for the virus in his system, The Island Packet reported.
“People need to take the opportunity to be tested and not be discouraged by the test results,” Tanner said. “Let your body be your guide.”
Tanner said he and his doctor believe the Dec. 29 test was a false positive. Though many people in the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office are scheduled to receive a vaccine or already got the first shot, Tanner warned against complacency during the pandemic.
“There may be light at the end of the tunnel, but we’re not at the end of the tunnel yet,” he told The Island Packet. “We have to keep our guard up.”
This story was originally published January 26, 2021 at 6:59 AM.
