COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Aug. 30
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
More than 3,700 new cases reported
At least 592,909 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and 9,259 have died in South Carolina since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 3,710 new COVID-19 cases and one coronavirus-related death on Monday.
At least 2,180 people in the state were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Monday, with 527 patients being treated in intensive care units.
As of Monday, 11.4% 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.
Nearly 48% of South Carolinians eligible to receive the vaccine are fully vaccinated, and about 57% have received at least one dose, according to health officials.
S.C. school mask mandate ban at center of civil rights investigation
The U.S. Education Department has launched an investigation against a South Carolina provision that bans local school districts from proposing mask mandates.
The probe, announced by the DOE on Monday, comes ahead of a South Carolina Supreme Court hearing on the ban and will explore whether the restrictions of the mask ban violate the civil rights of students with disabilities or at increased risk of getting sick from COVID-19, according to The State.
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster, as well as the governors of Iowa, Tennessee and Utah, have been warned by President Joe Biden’s administration after they enacted similar mask bans. A spokesperson for McMaster’s office called the DOE investigation “another attempt by the Biden Administration to force a radical liberal agenda on states and people who disagree with them.”
Read the full story here.
More Midlands schools return to virtual amid COVID-19 surge
Several schools across the Midlands started the week with virtual learning as the region sees a rapid rise in new COVID-19 cases, The State reported.
Northside and Pine Ridge middle schools are the latest in the Lexington 2 district to shift to online instruction, one week after Cayce Elementary school did the same in response to surging cases. Students at Northside and Pine Ridge will continue their studies at home for the next two weeks.
In-person learning is set to resume Friday, Sept. 10
Anti-mask protest sparks security concerns among Hilton Head leaders
A “raucous” anti-mask protest that disrupted a Hilton Head city council meeting this month has local leaders on edge, with some calling for tighter security, according to The lsland Packet.
Several anti-mask activists descended on the Aug. 17 meeting and spewed “vitriol and COVID-19 misinformation” at elected officials, the newspaper reported.
“There will be violence somewhere along the way” if similar meetings occur in the future, Mayor John McCann said this month. “We need a plan. If we can’t secure our house, how the hell are we going to secure the island?”
Marc Orlando, Hilton Head’s town manager, has proposed using $1 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds to improve security and technology systems inside the Town Council chambers. The money would be used to install new electronic locks, security cameras and “other safety/security related infrastructure.”
This story was originally published August 30, 2021 at 2:36 PM.
