COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Aug. 3
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
More than 1,600 new cases reported
At least 512,440 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and 8,741 have died in South Carolina since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Tuesday reported 1,651 new COVID-19 cases, 143 more than were reported the previous day. The state also reported two new coronavirus-related deaths.
At least 729 people in the state were hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Monday, according to the latest available data, with 196 patients in the ICU.
As of Tuesday, 19.71% of COVID-19 tests were reported positive. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 5% or lower means there is a low level of community spread.
Roughly 45% of South Carolina residents are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and about 51% have received at least one dose, health officials say.
Masks in schools? It’s possible, Columbia mayor says
Coronavirus cases are ticking in the wrong direction across South Carolina, and Columbia’s mayor said he’ll order the city’s students to wear masks in school if things continue to worsen, according to The State.
Mayor Steve Benjamin made the remarks during a Columbia City Council meeting Tuesday, adding that a state of emergency may be necessary if COVID-19 cases continue rising. Mask rules could make a comeback for local students, he said, despite Gov. Henry McMaster’s executive order barring local governments from imposing coronavirus restrictions.
Addressing the issue, Benjamin said, “I don’t believe state law is as prescriptive as some people think.”
Myrtle Beach sees ‘eerie’ spike in COVID hospitalizations
The Myrtle Beach area is seeing a dramatic spike in coronavirus-related hospital stays, and doctors say it’s younger, unvaccinated residents who are driving it, The Sun News reported.
“It’s kind of eerie, how much the numbers, our internal tracking, look almost like it did a year ago,” Dr. Paul Richardson, chief medical officer at Conway Medical Center, told the newspaper.
Of the hospital’s 30 COVID-19 patients, 22 are unvaccinated, according to a hospital spokesperson. McLeod Health is also reporting a rise in inpatient coronavirus cases, mere weeks after logging days with no COVID-19 patients.
“Today we’re almost at our peak from 2020,” Dr. Matthew Weeks, chief medical officer for McLeod Loris Seacoast, told The Sun News.
Read the full story here.
Sen. Lindsey Graham tests positive for COVID-19
South Carolina U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham revealed Monday that he tested positive for coronavirus after being vaccinated, The State reported.
The Republican lawmaker is the first U.S. senator to report a breakthrough infection, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines “as the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA or antigen in a respiratory specimen collected from a person ≥14 days after they have completed all recommended doses of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-authorized COVID-19 vaccine.”
“I was just informed by the House physician I have tested positive for #COVID19 even after being vaccinated,” he wrote on Twitter. “I started having flu-like symptoms Saturday night and went to the doctor this morning. I feel like I have a sinus infection and at present time I have mild symptoms.”
The lawmaker said he will self-isolate for the next 10 days as he works to recover from the virus.
Could mask mandates make a comeback in Beaufort County?
A rise in coronavirus cases across South Carolina has raised questions about the return of mask mandates in the Lowcountry. Local officials have given it some thought, according to The Island Packet.
While an executive order by Gov. Henry McMaster barred local governments from imposing mandatory mask rules, the order was issued during his COVID-19 state of emergency — which expired in June. Local officials now have some wiggle room to re-impose mask requirements, if they chose to do so, to help curb the spread of the delta variant.
Beaufort County Council Chair Joe Passiment told The Island Packet he would support a countywide mask mandate if the council reintroduced the issue. Hilton Head Mayor John McCann feels differently, however.
“Right now, the data doesn’t indicate we need it,” McCann said, according to the newspaper.
This story was originally published August 3, 2021 at 7:19 AM.