COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Dec. 14

We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in South Carolina. Check back for updates.

Over 500 new COVID-19 cases reported in SC

At least 744,723 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and 12,465 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. 14, reported 538 new COVID-19 cases and 11 coronavirus-related deaths. There were also 180 probable cases and three probable deaths, data shows.

At least 559 people in the state were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Dec. 14, including 154 patients being treated in intensive care units and 76 on ventilators. Roughly 6% of hospitalizations across the state are coronavirus-related, data shows.

As of Dec. 14, 7.1% 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.

Fifty-one percent of South Carolinians eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine are fully vaccinated, and roughly 59% have received at least one dose, according to health officials.

Need a COVID-19 booster in time for Christmas? Here’s what to know

Time is running out if you plan on getting the COVID-19 booster in time for Christmas and other holiday festivities.

People 16 and older are now eligible to receive the booster shot, giving them an extra dose of protection against a new, more transmissible variant of the coronavirus, McClatchy News reported.

Getting the booster on or before Monday, Dec. 13, should give your body sufficient time to develop maximum protection against COVID-19 in time for Christmas. Those who’ve received the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or the one-shot J&J vaccine are still considered fully vaccinated, even if they haven’t gotten the booster.

For more information about COVID-19 boosters, read the full story here.

This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 6:38 AM.

Karina Mazhukhina

McClatchy DC

Karina Mazhukhina is a McClatchy Real-Time News Reporter. She graduated from the University of Washington and was previously a digital journalist for KOMO News, an ABC-TV affiliate in Seattle.

Tanasia Kenney

Sun Herald

Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.