COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Nov. 9
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
More than 250 new cases reported in SC
At least 724,601 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and 12,016 have died in South Carolina since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Tuesday reported 276 new COVID-19 cases and two coronavirus-related deaths. There were also 106 probable cases and no probable deaths, data shows.
At least 510 people in the state were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday, including 141 patients who were being treated in intensive care units and 78 who were on ventilators. Nearly 6% of hospitalizations across the state are COVID-19-related, data shows.
As of Tuesday, 4.3% of COVID-19 tests were reported positive. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said 5% or lower means there is a low level of community spread.
Over 55% of South Carolinians eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine are fully vaccinated, and roughly 63% have received at least one dose, according to health officials.
SC attorney general threatens to sue over vaccine mandate
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is threatening legal action against the federal government if it green lights President Joe Biden’s plan requiring health care workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine, The State reported.
Biden previously announced plans to require corporations with more than 100 employees to be vaccinated against the virus or undergo weekly testing as of Jan. 4, 2022. The mandate would include all federal employees, contractors and health care staff employed at facilities that take part in Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Wilson has criticized vaccine requirements and called the president’s plan an overreach.
“President Biden has once again overstepped his legal authority and overreached his power,” he said in a news release. “The President is not above the law. I fully support the rights of our health care heroes in opposition to mandatory COVID vaccines. We intend to file suit in the very near future.”
Those who anticipate vaccine side effects more likely to feel them
The days leading up to getting the COVID-19 vaccine may trigger fear or worry in some, but a new study suggests it’s best that patients try not to anticipate pain.
A survey of more than 550 vaccinated adults found that those who expected to experience side effects from the shot, such as arm pain and fatigue, were “much more likely” to feel them than those who didn’t expect side effects, McClatchy News reported, citing a study published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.
Patients’ expectations also outweighed other predictive factors linked to the likelihood of experiencing negative side effects, including the brand of the vaccine and the person’s age, according to the report.
“This really shows the power of expectations and beliefs, even in something that we know is very physical,” lead study author Dr. Andrew Geers, a professor in the UToledo department of psychology, said in a news release. “It appears that the effect that comes out of the vaccine is being shaped by psychology — by expectations and worry.”
“If we’re able to reframe and think about side effects differently, it might reduce the experience of side effects,” Greers concluded.
Read the full story here.
This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 7:06 AM.
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