COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Dec. 7
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
500 new cases reported
At least 739,796 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and 12,386 have died in South Carolina since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Tuesday, Dec. 7, reported 500 new COVID-19 cases and two coronavirus-related deaths. There were also 161 probable cases and two additional probable deaths, data shows.
At least 471 people in the state were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Dec. 6, including 135 patients being treated in intensive care units and 64 on ventilators. About 5.4% of hospitalizations across the state are coronavirus-related, data shows.
As of Dec. 7, 6.4% 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.
More than 50% of South Carolinians eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine are fully vaccinated, and over 58% have received at least one dose, according to health officials.
Free COVID test site to now run through December
A site offering free COVID-19 tests on Hilton Head Island is extending its clinic through December.
The testing center launched in September and was expected to stay open through November. Now, it will continue to run this month as demand for tests typically rises before Christmas and other holidays.
The site will be open 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Mondays, except for Dec. 27, according to town and state officials. The clinic is at Fire Station 4 on Squire Pope Road, The Island Packet reported.
Children slow to get vaccinated
Some South Carolina parents haven’t jumped at the chance to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19.
In Beaufort County, about 29% of kids younger than 17 have received at least one coronavirus vaccine dose. The shots recently became available for 5- to 11-year-olds and had already been available for kids 12 and older.
“It’s disappointing,” said Dr. Kurt Gambla, chief medical officer at Beaufort Memorial Hospital. “It’s a very risky proposition to just assume that your kid’s going to do well if they get sick.”
Statewide, 24.5% of eligible kids and teens have gotten at least one vaccine dose.
“Typically, you don’t see kids get as ill,” Gambla said. “I think that’s been the main reason that people have not been jumping all over it, getting their kids vaccinated.”
SC hospital has break from COVID as omicron variant looms
A South Carolina hospital is getting a break from COVID-19 as the omicron variant presents a “big wild card,” a doctor says.
As of Dec. 2, Beaufort Memorial Hospital had five inpatients with coronavirus, and none of them were on ventilators or in intensive care, The Island Packet reported.
“We’re still at the bottom part of the last peak,” said Dr. Kurt Gambla. “Historically, we’re about as low as we’ve been since the very beginning of this thing.”
Gambla said hospital workers are “just catching their breath right now” after it saw several cases during the 2020 holiday season. The Lowcountry also saw a surge in cases of the delta variant this summer.
This story was originally published December 7, 2021 at 6:51 AM.
