COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Oct. 11
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
Roughly 1,000 new COVID-19 cases reported
At least 705,517 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and 11,283 have died in South Carolina since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Monday reported 1,017 new COVID-19 cases and 8 coronavirus-related deaths. The state also reported 235 probable cases and no probable deaths, data show.
At least 1,327 people in the state were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Monday, including 381 patients who are being treated in intensive care units and 271 who are on ventilators. Nearly 15% of hospitalizations across the state are COVID-19-related, data show.
As of Monday, 5.5% 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.
Just over 53% of South Carolinians eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine are fully vaccinated, and roughly 61% have received at least one dose, according to health officials.
COVID-19 will be around ‘for a long, long time,’ SC health official says
It’s been over a year since the first COVID-19 cases were reported in South Carolina, and while the numbers have improved, state health experts say we’re not out of the woods yet.
So how long before South Carolina residents could see an end to the pandemic? Vaccine hesitancy coupled with the spread of the highly contagious delta variant makes eradicating the virus in the near future very unlikely, several public health experts told The State.
“We’ve all just come to realize that this is not going to just suddenly go away,” Michael Sweat, director of the COVID-19 Epidemiology Intelligence Project at the Medical University of South Carolina, told the newspaper. “It’s going to be around for a long, long time.”
What’s more plausible is that the pandemic will end once 90% of the state’s population has either been vaccinated or developed an immunity to the virus. Data from the South Carolina DHEC shows just over 53% of residents eligible to receive the COVID-19 shot have been fully vaccinated.
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This story was originally published October 11, 2021 at 2:01 PM.
