COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Feb. 13
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and COVID-19 vaccines in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
Deaths surpass 7,000
At least 423,711 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina and 7,072 have died since March, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Friday reported 1,561 new cases, down from 2,070 on Friday.
Thirteen additional deaths were reported Saturday.
At least 1,302 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus in South Carolina as of Saturday. Hospitalizations have fallen almost 44% since they peaked at 2,466 on Jan. 13.
As of Friday, 6.4% of COVID-19 tests were positive, down from Friday’s 9%. Health officials have said the number should be closer to 5% to control the spread of the virus.
South Carolina had received 970,550 total doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and distributed 642,920 of those doses as of Saturday, according to DHEC.
Tell us how the pandemic changed your life
As the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 arriving in South Carolina approaches, we want to hear from you. We want to hear the stories of how the coronavirus, and all of the fallout surrounding it, has affected your lives. What have you learned? How has this ordeal changed you or your family?
Tell us in 350 words for an upcoming story about your year of the pandemic in South Carolina. If you prefer, you can also send us a video message that’s 45 seconds to 1 minute long. Please shoot the video horizontally.
Visit The State’s submission page to tell us your story.
Annual Lowcountry air show canceled
Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort canceled its 2021 air show one day after it announced it would slash general admission capacity to a third of its typical size.
The popular event that has drawn crowds as big as 100,000 was canceled “in order to protect the health of our service members, their families and the members of the community,” a Friday afternoon news release from the air station said.
The biennial event was scheduled for April 24 and 25 with a performance by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.
’Healthiest’ man in SC family is first to get vaccine
65-year-old Ron Auvil has “very minor health issues” compared to his sister with a lung disease and 71-year-old brother.
Still, due to his age, he was the first to receive the coronavirus vaccine in his family, The Rock Hill Herald reported.
“I’m very thankful that I have minor health issues,” Auvil recently told The Herald. “But I’d be the first one to trade with someone who really needed it.”
Brannon Traxler, South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control’s interim director of public health, has urged providers to follow state guidelines when it comes to allocating doses, saying not following them pushes those with the highest risks to the back of the line.
Auvil said his wife, who is 64, has a number of underlying health conditions that would increase her risk of severe illness if she got COVID-19.
SC schools to get nearly $900 million
Public and private schools in South Carolina will receive close to $900 million to help make their classrooms safer during the coronavirus pandemic.
The funds include an $846 million one-time grant to reopen public schools and nearly $40 million for private schools, The State reported. The news comes as Gov. Henry McMaster and state schools chief Molly Spearman push schools to reopen for in-person instruction five days a week.
There are currently 682 schools in South Carolina that have reopened with face-to-face instruction while 553 are still using a mix of in-person and online learning. Just 31 schools are still teaching strictly online, including some in Calhoun and Lee counties.
“The data shows schools are safe. We do not have to vaccinate everybody in order to go back to school five days a week, clearly it shows that,” Spearman said at a State Board of Education meeting this week.
This story was originally published February 13, 2021 at 7:51 AM.
