COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Aug. 6
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
More than 2,500 new cases reported
At least 518,480 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and 8,771 have died in South Carolina since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Friday reported 2,535 new COVID-19 cases, 657 more than were reported the day before. The state also recorded eight 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 Friday, 16.3% 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 52% have received at least one dose, health officials say.
COVID-19 sidelines Horry County football teams
Players at three Horry County football programs are quarantining after a teammate tested positive for COVID-19, according to The Sun News.
At least one positive case has been reported on the Green Sea Floyds High School, Loris High School Lions and the St. James High School Sharks varsity teams, a spokesperson for Horry County Schools confirmed to the newspaper.
The news comes amid heightened concern over the COVID-19 delta variant, which is highly contagious and produces more severe symptoms than the original strain. Horry County was recently identified as a coronavirus “hotspot” due to rapid spread of the virus.
USC won’t mandate masks for students
The University of South Carolina has no plans to impose a mask mandate for students at its Columbia campus, despite an emergency face mask ordinance from Mayor Steve Benjamin.
USC, the capital city’s largest university, cited the opinion of the state’s attorney general who said a mask rule would go against state law, according to The State.
Benjamin’s emergency order, approved by the Columbia City Council on Thursday, primarily applies to day cares, elementary and middle schools as officials work to curb coronavirus spread among younger students. Children under 12 aren’t eligible to be vaccinated, putting them at higher risk of contracting COVID-19.
The ordinance is to be enforced “on the premises of all places whose purpose is to educate and/or care for children between the ages of two (2) and fourteen (14),” the order reads.
COVID triage tents reinstalled at Horry County hospital
Dome-like tents used to test and treat suspected COVID-19 patients are going back up at Conway Medical Center in Horry County, the Sun News reported.
The makeshift triage centers are being reinstalled as COVID-19 cases in the region continue to climb.
“Truly this is gut-wrenching,” Dr. Paul Richardson, the hospital’s chief medical officer, told the newspaper. “To have to put these tents back up because our numbers are going back up to the levels they are necessary is very discouraging. We are on a trajectory to head back towards numbers we haven’t seen for nearly a year.”
As of Thursday, CMC had 25 hospitalized COVID-19 patients — seven of whom are on ventilators.
Vaccination event planned for Beaufort County
The Medical University of South Carolina will host a COVID-19 vaccination event in Yemassee this weekend as Beaufort County and much of South Carolina deal with a surge of new coronavirus cases.
The clinic, which is part of the Summer Gospel Festival, will take place from 1-4 p.m. Saturday at the Yemassee Heights apartments, The Island Packet reported. Patients will receive the Pfizer-Biotech vaccine, which requires two doses.
Walk-ups are welcome, but residents are encouraged to set an appointment ahead of time.
Read more about the event here.
This story was originally published August 6, 2021 at 7:16 AM.