COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Sept. 30
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
Over 1,500 new COVID-19 cases reported
At least 689,190 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and 10,830 have died in South Carolina since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 1,514 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, 370 more cases than reported the day before. The state also confirmed 103 coronavirus-related deaths.
At least 1,866 people in the state were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Thursday, including 493 patients who are being treated in intensive care units and 353 who are on ventilators.
As of Thursday, 10.4% 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.
About 52% of South Carolinians eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine are fully vaccinated, and over 60% have received at least one dose, according to health officials.
SC Supreme Court upholds proviso on mask mandates in schools
In a Thursday ruling, the South Carolina Supreme Court upheld a temporary proviso barring Richland School District 2 from requiring masks in its schools.
The one-year law, backed by the state General Assembly and Gov. Henry McMaster, prevents individual schools and school districts from using funds from the state budget to enforce mask mandates. However, the language in the Supreme Court’s ruling suggests schools may use alternative funding sources.
“Proviso 1.108 (the one-year state budget law) prohibits the school district from using funds appropriated or authorized under the 2021-2022 Appropriations Act to announce or enforce a mask mandate in its K-12 schools,” the justices wrote in their decision. “We do not reject the possibility that other funds might be used to do so.”
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.
This story was originally published September 30, 2021 at 7:03 AM.
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