COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Feb. 2

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 400,000

At least 400,472 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina since March and 6,599 have died, according to state health officials.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Tuesday reported 1,554 new COVID-19 cases, down from 2,130 reported the day before.

Thirty-two additional deaths were reported Tuesday.

At least 1,832 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus in South Carolina as of Tuesday.

As of Tuesday, 8.8% of COVID-19 tests were positive, a significant decline from past weeks. However, the lower percentage isn’t due to a decrease in coronavirus activity, but a change in the way DHEC is calculating the figure.

Health officials have said that number should be closer to 5% to control the spread of the virus.

A total of 777,250 COVID vaccine doses had been delivered to the state as of Tuesday, and 439,888 shots had been administered.

Senate confirms new DHEC chief

The Senate Medical Affairs Committee approved a new leader for the state’s health department, officially filling the role left vacant since June, The State reported.

Edward Simmer, 56, was picked out of 80 candidates by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control in December, but needed the legislative approval received Tuesday.

The senate committee grilled Simmer, a career Navy doctor, for nearly two hours, with questions ranging from how he would handle the COVID-19 crisis, his awareness of environmental issues, and his willingness to stand up against political pressure.

DHEC has not had a permanent director since Rick Toomey resigned over the summer.

Simmer told the committee his top priority as director will be to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccine, making the rollout process more efficient, and making it easier for all South Carolinians to schedule appointments.

SC resident who survived Spanish Flu gets COVID vaccine

Maria Aulenbacher, South Carolina’s “oldest resident,” has been vaccinated against COVID-19, The State reported.

Aulenbacher, 111, survived the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1919, and last week received the COVID vaccine at Prisma Health’s mass-vaccination site in Greenville, along with her daughter and son-in-law, who are both in their 70s.

“I’m just happy to have this opportunity to help keep healthy and keep everyone around me healthy,” Aulenbacher said in a Prisma statement, which said she was declared the state’s oldest resident last year. “I can’t wait until I can hug my great grandson again. I look forward to our family safely all being together. I have missed hugging my great grandson, Alex.”

Aulenbacher lived in Germany most of her life, but moved to the U.S. about a decade ago.

She hopes getting the vaccine will encourage others to do the same, according to her daughter, Birget Dickerson.

“We feel we are doing our part,” Dickerson said. “This was a very easy process, and everybody was wonderful. As a family, we all have all thought of our health care and frontline professionals throughout the pandemic, our thoughts have been with them. We are so grateful to them for all they have done and the sacrifices they have made.”

January was Horry County’s deadliest month in pandemic

Horry County just saw its deadliest month since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Island Packet reported.

According to state health officials, 78 county residents died due to coronavirus in January, topping the previous record of 73 set in July.

More than 5,500 cases were recorded in Horry County during the first month of the year.

The final week of January also proved to be the deadliest yet for the entire state, with 468 fatalities reported in seven days.

Catawba tribe vaccinating members 18 and older

Free from state guidelines, the Catawba Indian Nation is handling COVID-19 vaccine rollout its own way, inoculating tribe members 18 years of age and older, Rock Hill Herald reported.

The Catawba, South Carolina’s only federally recognized Native American tribe, receive vaccine doses through Indian Health Services, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Only people 70 years and older were initially allowed the vaccine, but now, any Catawba member who is at least 18 with an ID proving their membership, can schedule an appointment at a Catawba clinic.

“The thing that can’t be understated is the impact (COVID-19) is having on indigenous communities,” Chief Bill Harris said.

Native Americans face a COVID-related mortality rate nearly 2 times greater than white Americans, the Herald reported.

“When people say, ‘Well, I don’t feel comfortable about taking a vaccine,’ I think they need to look at their community and see what the impact the vaccine is having, and that the virus itself is having on the community,” Harris said.

McMaster: Expand vaccine access to people 65 and older

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 about prioritizing teachers, which many officials in the state have pushed for, McMaster said he believes seniors should come first.

“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.”

Myrtle Beach extends mask mandate

Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune on Monday extended the town’s civil emergency through Feb. 28, meaning masks 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.

This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 6:46 AM.