COVID-19 vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on March 8
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and COVID-19 vaccines in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
Fewer than 600 new cases reported
At least 450,578 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina and 7,748 have died since last March, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Monday reported 562 new COVID-19 cases, down from 732 reported the day before.
Four deaths were reported Monday.
At least 608 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus in South Carolina as of Monday, up from 579 Sunday.
South Carolina has reached low levels of community spread of the coronavirus by federal health officials’ standards.
On Monday, 3.7% of COVID tests were positive, the state health department said. The CDC says 5% or less means there’s low level of community spread.
More than 1.2 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine had been administered in South Carolina as of Monday.
How could SC have handled COVID differently?
It’s been about a year since the pandemic began, and coronavirus has taken the lives of over 8,000 South Carolinians.
Since the virus arrived in the state, leaders have tried to strike a balance between safety, economic stability, and perceived personal freedoms. But did they get that balance right?
The State spoke with experts and state leaders to reflect on the decisions made, or not, to answer the question: Could things have been handled differently?
Phase 1B begins. Here’s who is eligible to get vaccinated
South Carolina begins Phase 1B of the coronavirus vaccine rollout Monday, making millions more eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
The list of those who are eligible now or will soon be eligible includes teachers, people 55 and older and many others. For a full list of people included in Phase 1B, read here.
Lexington suspends mask mandate
The town of Lexington has suspended its emergency order requiring face masks in public, The State reported Sunday.
The Lexington Town Council voted Friday to suspend the ordinance requiring masks in retail businesses — including grocery stores, box stores and pharmacies — within town limits, marking the second time the town has suspended its mask requirement since the pandemic started.
The suspension of the ordinance comes after Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order to no longer require people to wear face masks inside state-owned buildings or restaurants when not eating or drinking.
McMaster cited declining coronavirus case counts and large-scale COVID-19 vaccination efforts as his reason for loosening statewide mask rules.
Lexington Town Council members said they still encourage residents to follow recommendations related to COVID-19 from the state health department and the governor’s office.
Meanwhile, similar mask mandates in West Columbia and Columbia were renewed last week.
The West Columbia City Council extended its emergency ordinance requiring face coverings in some establishments for 61 days. The order will be reevaluated on May 1. Columbia’s emergency ordinance will also be revisited in 61 days.
DHEC committee meetings violated law, attorney says
A South Carolina advisory committee that helped finalize the state’s coronavirus vaccine distribution plan met 12 times last year without public notice and without recording official meeting minutes — and a leading expert on the S.C. Freedom of Information Act says it violated state law.
Jay Bender, an attorney for the S.C. Press Association, said the Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Vaccine Advisory Committee, or VAC, “consistently” violated FOIA rules over a three-month span in 2020 as it didn’t post public meeting notices, meet in public or record official meeting minutes.
This happened as volunteer members of the committee offered feedback to the state health department on which residents should be prioritized for the vaccines, according to unofficial notes from the committee’s then-weekly meetings that DHEC provided to The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.
“Like everything else done in secret, it undermines the credibility of the organization,” Bender said.
Laura Renwick, a DHEC spokesperson, wrote in a statement that the department formed the VAC after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encouraged states to organize “stakeholder groups” to help come up with recommendations for coronavirus vaccine planning and that the department thought the committee would meet for only six to eight weeks.
“Because the VAC was initially formed as a short-lived informal stakeholder group, formal meeting procedures weren’t adopted,” Renwick wrote.
She said the department determined in late 2020 that “VAC could be a public body subject to the public notice requirements.” The agency started posting online notices for the VAC’s 2021 meetings, streaming its meetings, publishing its agendas and documenting its minutes.
USC to ramp up on-campus vaccinations
Starting Monday, the University of South Carolina will ramp up vaccination efforts on campus, The State reported.
The move comes as South Carolina enters Phase 1B of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. In the new phase, many more residents will become eligible for vaccination, including teachers, people ages 55 and older and people between 16 and 64 with pre-existing health conditions.
That means much of the university’s staff will be able to get vaccinated. However, most students won’t qualify unless they have an underlying condition.
This story was originally published March 8, 2021 at 7:13 AM.
