COVID-19 vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on March 15
.png "More than 1.4 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine had been administered in South Carolina as of Sunday and more than 489,000 residents have “completed vaccination,” health officials say.")
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 455,000
At least 455,088 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina and 7,850 have died since last March, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Monday reported 310 new COVID-19 cases, down from 502 reported the day before.
No additional coronavirus-related deaths were confirmed.
At least 590 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus in the state on Monday.
As of Monday, 3.4% of COVID-19 tests were reported positive, the state health department said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5% or lower means there is low level of community spread.
More than 1.4 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine had been administered in South Carolina as of Monday and more than 496,000 residents have “completed vaccination,” state data shows.
Push to vaccinate farm workers begins
Peach grower Titan Farms has teamed up with Carolina Health Centers to vaccinate 1,000 full-time and temporary farm workers against COVID-19, The Island Packet reported.
The push comes less than a week after eligibility was extended to farm workers under the state’s vaccination plan, which entered Phase 1b on March 8.
Growers in the region received their first dose of the vaccine on Saturday and will receive their second April 10.
“We just told [the workers], for us to return to as much a normal life as we could, we believed that the vaccine was important, and they needed to make up their own mind,” Titan Farms owner Chalmers Carr told The Island Packet.
St. Patrick’s Day event draws thousands to North Myrtle Beach
A St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl in North Myrtle beach went off without a hitch Saturday, according to city leaders.
The event, which was initially billed as a parade, sent thousands of maskless revelers dressed in green flocking to Main Street to support local shops and restaurants ahead of the March 17 holiday, The Sun News reported.
“Overall, it went very well,” city spokesperson Pat Dowling told the newspaper after some back and forth between local business owners and the city over a parade permit. There were also concerns about health and safety.
In February, the city canceled its annual St. Patrick’s Day parade and festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
LGBTQ+ Pride festival returns to Myrtle Beach
The LGBTQ+ Pride in the Park festival will return to Myrtle Beach this fall for its second year, according to The Sun News.
Organizer Craig McGee teamed with nonprofit Pride Myrtle Beach Inc. to revive the celebration, which was put on by a different organization in 2019.
“It’s important for everyone in the community to have a place to go and come together, especially now after we’ve been apart for so long, just to come together and be themselves and support the community,” McGee told the newspaper.
Before now, Myrtle Beach has only seen two LGBTQ+ Pride events — a 1998 parade and a festival in 2019.
600 Beaufort County teachers, staff vaccinated
Roughly 20% of Beaufort County School District’s 3,000 employees got their first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday, The Island Packet reported Sunday.
About 600 teachers, staff and contract employees were vaccinated at Battery Creek High School or Hilton Head Hospital, according to spokesperson Candace Bruder.
More pop-up clinics and appointment spaces are expected to open soon.
“It means a lot to teachers,” Beaufort schools Superintendent Frank Rodriguez told The Island Packet. “Some are very concerned about safety, and others are less concerned but still want to be vaccinated. ... We want teachers to feel as safe and comfortable as possible.”
More cases reported in SC schools
A total of 14,499 COVID-19 cases have been reported in South Carolina public and charter schools, according to data released Friday afternoon.
That’s an increase of more than 500 cases from the week before. Last month, it was common for 1,000 cases to be added each week, The Herald reported Saturday.
Officials started keeping a cumulative total of cases in schools Sept. 24. Since then, more than 10,700 cases have been reported among students, and more than 3,700 have been reported among school employees.
This story was originally published March 15, 2021 at 7:11 AM.
