COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Sept. 28
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
More than 1,500 new COVID-19 cases reported
At least 685,360 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and 10,644 have died in South Carolina since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 1,534 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, 293 less cases than reported the day before. The state also confirmed 45 coronavirus-related deaths.
At least 2,070 people in the state were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday, including 530 patients who are being treated in intensive care units and 363 who are on ventilators.
As of Tuesday, 11% 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 52% of South Carolinians eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine are fully vaccinated, and a little over 60% have received at least one dose, according to health officials.
COVID cases in Beaufort Co. continue downward trend
A surge in COVID-19 cases in Beaufort County seems to be improving, new data suggests.
The highly transmissible delta variant had been driving the uptick in cases since mid-July, the Island Packet reported, jamming up hospitals and urgent care facilities across the Lowcountry. As of Tuesday, Beaufort County’s seven-day average of new confirmed coronavirus cases had fallen to about 34 per day, according to data from the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control.
That’s a significant improvement from late August, when the county was averaging 141 cases per day.
While conditions are improving, assistant state epidemiologist Dr. Jane Kelly warned that South Carolina could still see a winter surge as holiday travel ramps up.
“Well, of course it’s difficult to say,” Kelly said, “but until we have more people vaccinated, South Carolina is still at high risk of continued high numbers of new cases.”
S.C. among states with the highest COVID-19 rates among children
South Carolina is seeing a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases among children, putting it among states with the highest incidence rates of pediatric coronavirus cases.
An analysis by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that the Palmetto State has the second-highest rate of child COVID-19 cases in the nation as of Sept. 23, with nearly 14,600 kids having contracted the virus since the start of the pandemic, The State reported.
That’s nearly double the national average of 7,600 COVID-positive children per every 100,000.
So which state has the highest rate of child coronavirus cases? Tennessee edged South Carolina for the top spot with 15,225 cases per 100,000 children.
Read the full analysis here.
Midlands hospital offering booster shots at COVID vaccine clinic
S.C. residents eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shot can now get one, thanks to a vaccination clinic put on by Lexington Medical Center.
The hospital will make the shots available at a pop-up clinic at Brookland Baptist Church in Columbia, The State reported, citing a hospital news release. Patients are asked to bring their COVID-19 vaccine card to show they’ve completed the Pfizer two-shot vaccine series.
The Brookland Baptist Church vaccination clinic is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Shots are also available on the weekend from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, officials said.
This story was originally published September 28, 2021 at 7:21 AM.
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