COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Sept. 29
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
Over 1,100 new COVID-19 cases reported
At least 687,464 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and 10,731 have died in South Carolina since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 1,144 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, 390 fewer cases than reported the day before. The state also confirmed 85 coronavirus-related deaths.
At least 1,971 people in the state were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday, including 508 patients who are being treated in intensive care units and 368 who are on ventilators.
As of Wednesday, 18.8% 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.
SC schools can make students wear masks after judge blocks ban
South Carolina school districts can now require that students wear masks in school to help slow the spread of COVID-19, the state’s education chief said in a letter to districts Wednesday, according to The State.
Superintendent Molly Spearman’s guidance comes after a federal judge temporarily blocked the state’s one-year law aimed at preventing school districts from using state dollars to mandate masks inside school buildings.
In her order, Judge Mary Geiger Lewis said the provision included in this year’s budget discriminates against children with disabilities and is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal laws.
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.”
SC 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.
This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 7:12 AM.
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