SC reports 1,649 COVID-19 cases, 75 deaths Thursday
State health officials Thursday reported 1,649 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 75 deaths from the virus, the third straight day South Carolina has announced fewer than 1,800 new cases.
While coronavirus cases have dropped significantly over the past week, virus deaths — which often trail cases — remain high. With the 75 deaths announced Thursday, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control has now reported at least 60 deaths on eight of the last 14 days.
More than 10% of the 23,653 COVID-19 tests reported Thursday came back positive, according to DHEC.
COVID-19 hospitalizations, which have declined steadily since reaching record highs in mid-January, dropped to 1,677 Thursday. The number of patients hospitalized with the coronavirus peaked at 2,466 on Jan. 13.
Since last March, the state has reported 403,928 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 6,730 deaths from the virus.
South Carolina counts an additional 49,950 cases, including 185 Thursday, as probable positives, and another 757 deaths, including 19 Thursday, as probable COVID-19 deaths.
DHEC defines a probable case as someone who has had a positive antigen test or has virus symptoms and is at high risk for infection. Probable deaths are ones where the death certificate lists COVID-19 as the cause of or a contributing factor to death, but the person was not tested for the virus.
In total, the state has reported 453,878 confirmed and probable cases and 7,487 confirmed and probable deaths.
Vaccines distributed
As of Thursday, South Carolina had received 425,150 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine and 354,100 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.
The agency reported Thursday that 273,419 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 172,155 first doses of the Moderna vaccine had been administered so far. Another 72,059 second doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 14,285 second doses of the Moderna vaccine also have been administered.
Administrations of the Moderna vaccine currently lag behind Pfizer administrations because until recently Moderna shots had been used exclusively to vaccinate long-term care facility residents and staff as part of a federal pharmacy partnership. In recent weeks, the Moderna vaccine, which does not have the same ultra-cold storage requirements as the Pfizer vaccine, has been shipped to pharmacies, federally qualified health centers and other providers, and its uptake is expected to increase.
Health care workers, long-term care facility residents and staff, hospital inpatients over 65 and all people age 70 and older are currently eligible to receive vaccinations. Starting Monday, all people age 65-69, regardless of health status, will be eligible to book vaccination appointments and receive doses.
In addition to the 460,000 first and second vaccine doses that have been administered, more than 394,000 people have schedule appointments to receive a shot, DHEC said.
Anyone eligible to receive a vaccine who would like to get one can use DHEC’s locator tool to find a provider with availability near you at www.scdhec.gov/vaxlocator. For those who lack internet access, DHEC recently launched a phone line — 866-365-8110 — where operators are available every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to help people searching for information about vaccine providers.
State health officials advise South Carolinians to continue taking measures to mitigate spread of COVID-19 as the vaccination rollout progresses in the months ahead.
DHEC urges anyone who is symptomatic or who has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 to get tested themselves and recommends routine monthly testing for anyone who is out and about in the community, even if they are asymptomatic.
To find a testing location near you, visit DHEC’s website at scdhec.gov/covid19/covid-19-testing-locations.
This story was originally published February 4, 2021 at 2:23 PM.