COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Feb. 1
.png "South Carolina has received 657,250 doses of COVID-19 vaccines and administered 399,830 doses as of Sunday, the DHEC says.")
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and COVID-19 vaccines in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
More than 200 deaths reported
At least 398,892 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina since March and 6,564 have died, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Monday reported 2,130 new COVID-19 cases, down from 2,649 reported the day before.
On Monday, 210 deaths were reported, the second-most in a single day, although the toll included fatalities from previous days that weren’t reported due to an internal system upgrade issue, DHEC officials said. Officials have reported nearly 700 deaths in the last seven days.
At least 1,842 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus in South Carolina as of Monday. Hospitalizations have been dropping steadily in recent days after soaring to record highs earlier this month.
As of Monday, 21.6% of COVID-19 tests were positive. Health officials have said that number should be closer to 5% to control the spread of the virus.
A total of 657,250 COVID vaccine doses have been delivered to the state as of Monday, and 418,670 shots have been administered.
Myrtle Beach extends mask mandate
Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune on Monday extended the town’s civil emergency through Feb. 28, meaning masks also must be worn for another month, The Sun News reported.
“The mask order is the right thing to do until we have this virus under control,” Bethune said. “Hopefully we will see improvements as the vaccine is more widely administered. Until then, we all need to do our part to keep ourselves and others safe.”
Under the order, masks are required in businesses open to the public, including restaurants and hotels. But they don’t have to be worn on the beach.
Violators can be fined up to $100.
Richland County Sheriff’s Department member dies of COVID
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott announced the department’s first death of an active-duty member due to COVID-19 on Monday, The State reported.
Terry Joel Barrett, 69, joined the department in 1976, retired at the rank of Lieutenant, and eventually “Barrett’s call to continue to serve brought him back to work as a chaplain.”
Barrett died Sunday in a Columbia area hospital, according to Lott, who tested positive for coronavirus himself in December.
“Please keep the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and Chaplain Barrett’s family in your thoughts and prayers,” the sheriff’s department said.
McMaster: Expand vaccine access to people 65 and up
Gov. Henry McMaster said people 65 years and older should be next in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, The State reported.
Currently, the age group isn’t eligible to be vaccinated until phase 1c of the vaccine rollout, expected this Spring.
McMaster said he wants to see the expansion enacted as soon as possible, but didn’t offer any specific time frame.
“As soon as this flow seems to have steadied and we can accommodate it, then we’ll open it up to 65 and above,” he said.
In response to questions over prioritizing teachers, which many officials in the state have pushed for, McMaster said he believes seniors should still come first and foremost.
“It is the older people we know that are most at risk,” he said. “The average age of death from the virus is 75 years old, so it is the older people that are most at risk and those are the ones that we must see have the early opportunity to get a vaccination.”
Phone service provides vaccine answers
South Carolina has received 657,250 doses of COVID-19 vaccines and administered 399,830 doses.
The DHEC has launched a new phone number to provide information and answer questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. The number is 866-365-8110 and can be reached from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.
SC reports first case of UK strain
A more contagious strain of COVID-19 that recently emerged in the United Kingdom was reported in South Carolina on Saturday.
The variant was discovered in an adult from the Lowcountry, DHEC said. The person had recently traveled internationally.
“The arrival of the second SARS-CoV-2 variant in our state is a yet another important reminder to all South Carolinians that the fight against this deadly virus is far from over,” Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC interim public health director, said. “While more COVID-19 vaccines are on the way, supplies are still very limited. We must all remain dedicated to the fight by doing the right things to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.”
It’s common for viruses to undergo changes that result in new variants, or versions. Most variants don’t affect how the virus behaves, but some do, health officials said. Multiple variants of COVID-19 have emerged and are circulating globally.
There is no evidence that any of the variants cause more severe illness or increase the risk of mortality, but they are believed to be more transmissible.
SC to reallocate surplus vaccines from long-term care facilities
Roughly one-fifth of the 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines allocated to residents and staff of South Carolina long-term care facilities have been administered.
The low utilization rate seems to be due to the number of doses state health officials originally allocated to the program and hesitation about getting vaccinated.
On Friday, Gov. Henry McMaster sent a letter to the DHEC asking that the agency redistribute 37,800 doses of vaccine previously allocated to the long-term care program, and DHEC said late Friday it received approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to do so.
This week, the department will start distributing them to vaccine providers across the state for administration to the roughly 1 million South Carolinians eligible for vaccines in phase 1a of the state’s rollout.
This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 6:48 AM.
