Coronavirus omicron updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Feb. 25
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
More than 600 new COVID cases reported in SC
At least 1.14 million coronavirus cases have been reported in South Carolina, and at least 14,290 people have died of the virus since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Friday, Feb. 25, reported 613 new COVID-19 cases and 108 coronavirus-related deaths. There were also 400 probable cases and 42 probable deaths.
The omicron variant accounted for 100% of coronavirus strains identified in South Carolina for the week ending Feb. 6, state health data shows. The DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory conducts sequencing on randomly chosen samples as part of nationwide efforts to identify new coronavirus strains, according to the agency’s website.
At least 778 people in the state were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Feb. 24, including 143 patients being treated in intensive care units and 79 on ventilators. Data shows about 8% of hospitalizations in South Carolina are coronavirus-related.
As of Feb. 25, roughly 6% 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-four percent of South Carolinians eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and almost 63% have received at least one dose, health officials say.
SC courthouses to drop face mask requirement. Here’s when
Visitors will no longer have to wear face masks inside South Carolina courthouses after a chief judge’s recent ruling, The State reported.
An order by S.C. Chief Justice Donald Beatty lifts courthouse mask mandates, starting Tuesday, March 1, according to the newspaper. The mask rules took effect in July 2020 when COVID-19 cases were rising rapidly.
“Since that time, effective vaccines against COVID-19 have been developed and distributed, and are widely available at no cost,” Beatty wrote in his order. “Further, positive case and percent positive rates continue to fall.”
Guests can continue wearing masks but may be asked to briefly remove them for security and identification purposes, officials said.
Horry County Schools to end contact tracing, quarantines
Horry County schools will begin rolling back some COVID-19 protocols, including contact tracing and quarantines, after state health officials released updated guidance this week.
Under the new recommendations, students will no longer be required to quarantine if they’re exposed to someone infected with COVID-19, The Sun News reported, citing district officials.
New guidance from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control allows for contact tracing and quarantining to be phased out at schools where the percentage of students and staff with COVID-19 is less than 10%. District spokesperson Lisa Bourcier told The Sun News that all Horry County schools are below the 10% threshold.
Read the full story here.
Beaufort Co. schools to suspend COVID quarantines on individual basis
Beaufort County Schools has plans to phase out its test-to-stay program and COVID-19 quarantines by March 1 in light of updated guidance from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, The Island Packet reported, citing district officials.
The decision would be applied on a school-by-school basis rather than district wide, according to the newspaper. The change comes after state health officials updated the School and Childcare Exclusion List.
The new guidance advises that test-to-stay and quarantine policies may be suspended at schools where less than 10% of students or staff have COVID-19 cases over a two-week span, officials said. Schools with over 10% of positive cases among students or staff must reinstate test-to-stay and quarantine policies.
“I am pleased to report that no district school currently has more than 10% of its students and staff absent due to testing positive for COVID-19,” Superintendent Frank Rodriguez said in a news release. “And, we are hopeful that this trend will continue.”
For more information, read the full story here.
Can you get sick with omicron variant twice? What experts say
Coronavirus cases are on the decline, but public health experts warn that the virus is still prevalent — especially the highly infectious omicron variant.
A new study by researchers from Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut suggests it’s possible to be reinfected with the omicron variant after getting over an initial omicron coronavirus infection, which has since morphed into two new subvariants, McClatchy News reported.
The report, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, found that reinfections with omicron subvariant BA.2 — better known as “stealth omicron” — can happen soon after a person gets sick with the “original” omicron subvariant BA.1. However, this is rare, researchers said.
Omicron reinfections were reported “mostly in young unvaccinated individuals with mild disease” and didn’t lead to hospitalization or death, researchers said.
Read the full story here.
St. Patrick’s Day events to return to North Myrtle Beach
St. Patrick’s Day events will make a comeback in North Myrtle Beach next month after a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Sun News.
The North Myrtle Beach City Council green-lit plans for the annual celebration during a meeting on Feb. 21, the newspaper reported.
The festival is scheduled for Saturday, March 12, on Main Street between Ocean Boulevard and Cedar Avenue from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The parade will take place the same day from 9 to 11 a.m.
Revelers can enjoy live music, vendors and plenty of food.
More than 30,000 people are expected to attend, event organizers told the newspaper.
Read the full story here.
This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 7:17 AM.