Coronavirus updates for May 11: Here’s what to know in South Carolina this week
.jpg "Nearly 55% of eligible South Carolina residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to SC DHEC.")
More than 4,400 COVID cases last week
At least 1.4 million coronavirus cases have been reported in South Carolina, and at least 17,869 people have died of the virus since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Wednesday, May 11, reported 4,458 new COVID-19 cases and four coronavirus-related deaths for the week ending May 7. The counts include probable and confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths.
Data shows COVID-19 cases are up about 45% compared to this time last week, and hospitalizations have risen roughly 4%. As of May 8, 127 people in the state were hospitalized with COVID-19, including 15 patients being treated in intensive care units and less than five patients on ventilators.
The omicron variant accounted for 100% of coronavirus strains identified in South Carolina for the week of April 30, according to the latest available state data. The DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory conducts sequencing on randomly chosen samples as part of nationwide efforts to identify new strains of the virus, the agency’s website reads.
Nearly 55% percent of South Carolinians eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and over 63% have received at least one dose, state health data shows.
Don’t use this at-home COVID test, FDA warns
The U.S Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers against using an at-home COVID-19 test that could return a false result, McClatchy News reported.
In an alert published May 10, the agency said people should avoid using the Skippack Medical Lab SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Test (Colloidal Gold).
“This test is not authorized, cleared, or approved by the FDA for distribution or use in the United States,” the FDA said, noting that it “is concerned about the risk of false results when using this test.”
More than 209,000 of the tests have been recalled as of May 10, according to the agency.
For more information, read the full story here.
COVID subvariant accounts for nearly half of U.S. cases
Coronavirus cases are rising again with a new omicron subvariant accounting for nearly half of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to recent data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The subvariant, called BA.2.12.1., made up 42.6% of COVID-19 cases reported in the week ending May 7, McClatchy News reported, citing the public health agency. Cases of the subvariant have increased roughly 10% in the last few weeks.
It appeared in early March, just as a the BA. 2 subvariant — or “stealth omicron” — surpassed the original BA.1 omicron strain as the most dominant, the agency said. The CDC is now “working to better understand” the BA.2.12.1 subvariant, how it spreads and how effective COVID-19 vaccines are at preventing it.
Read the full story here.