COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Aug. 16
2,500 new COVID-19 cases reported Monday
At least 543,603 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and 8,910 have died in South Carolina since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 2,541 new COVID-19 cases and 17 coronavirus-related deaths on Monday.
At least 1,580 people in the state were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Aug. 16, with 385 patients in the ICU. The state updates hospitalization numbers once a week.
As of Monday, 14.5% 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 46% of South Carolinians eligible to receive the vaccine are fully vaccinated and about 54% have received at least one dose, according to health officials.
SC teachers call on Gov. McMaster to mandate masks in schools
A teachers group is putting pressure on S.C. Governor Henry McMaster and the state legislature to take action as the delta variant drives new COVID-19 cases across the state.
In a letter, the Palmetto State Teachers Association called on McMaster to rethink a temporary law restricting city and local governments from mandating face masks in schools, The State reported. An “overwhelming majority of our members,” the group said, supports leaving the decision up to local school districts.
“In hoping for a return to normal, the legislature has tried to prohibit key mitigation strategies for this school year, most notably the ability of local school districts to implement mask requirements,” the group wrote on Monday. “To be clear, no one wants to teach or learn in a mask, but it is also true no one wants to shift to distance learning.”
A spokesperson for the governor’s office said McMaster doesn’t have the power to the suspend the law and wouldn’t support such a move.
Clemson professors threaten mass walkout
A reported lack of COVID-19 safety measures at Clemson University has some professors threatening to walk out in protest, according to The State.
“The lack of a mask mandate is endangering the health and lives of all of us,” Kimberly Paul, an associate professor of genetics and chemistry at the university, wrote on Facebook. “University leadership is not listening to us. It’s time to take action.”
Paul and other professors plan to stage a walkout en masse Wednesday in response to the university’s decision not to mandate masks for students in class. Associate professor of communication Andrew Pyle wrote on Twitter that Clemson was “unwilling to burn some political capital over a major public health issue.”
“What’s the point of having a huge amount of clout in the state if we won’t use it ... to save lives?” he wrote.
Hilton Head mayor issues COVID-19 state of emergency
Hilton Head Mayor John McCann has declared a state of emergency in response to the surge in coronavirus cases, The Island Packet reported, citing city officials familiar with the matter.
The emergency ordinance, which took effect Monday, could require residents and staff to mask up when visiting Town Hall.
The new order comes as the coastal city, along with much of South Carolina, see a resurgence of COVID-19 infections driven by the delta variant.
This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 1:47 PM.
