Coronavirus updates for June 15: Here’s what to know in South Carolina this week
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in South Carolina. Check back each week for updates.
Over 10,000 new COVID-19 cases last week
At least 1.5 million coronavirus cases have been reported in South Carolina, and at least 17,995 people have died of the virus since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Tuesday, June 14 , reported 10,035 COVID-19 cases and five coronavirus-related deaths for the week ending June 11. The counts include probable and confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths.
Data shows COVID-19 cases are up 10% compared to this time last week and hospitalizations have risen 13.5%. As of June 12, 304 people in the state were hospitalized with coronavirus, including 32 patients being treated in intensive care units and 11 patients on ventilators.
The omicron variant accounted for 100% of coronavirus strains identified in South Carolina during the week of May 28, 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.
Fifty-five percent of South Carolinians eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and just over 63% have received at least one dose, state health data shows.
A test to measure your COVID immunity? It could soon be available in U.S.
U.S. residents could soon have access to a blood test that can assess one’s immunity to COVID-19, McClatchy News reported, citing the Food and Drug Administration.
The test, created by Mouth Sinai Health System researchers, has been certified for commercial use in Europe but is still under review by the FDA, the health system said in a news release. It measures the activation of a person’s T-cells, which help the body fight off viruses, and can be performed in less than 24 hours.
The test is different from a coronavirus antibody test and can be used to assess “the population’s cellular immunity” to COVID-19, said Dr. Ernesto Guccione, a professor of oncological sciences at Mount Sinai’s Tisch Cancer Institute.
“We know that vulnerable populations don’t always mount an antibody response, so measuring T cell activation is critical to assess the full extent of a person’s immunity,” Guccione said.
To learn more, read the full story here.
New study examines COVID’s impact on baby’s brains
Babies exposed to COVID-19 in the womb may be at higher risk of experiencing brain development issues, a recent study suggests.
The report, published June 9 in the journal JAMA Network Open, joins a growing body of research showing a link between viral infections, such as the flu, during pregnancy and “neurodevelopmental outcomes” in babies, McClatchy News reported, citing researchers.
These outcomes include anxiety, depression, cerebral palsy and autism, according to the study.
For the report, researchers examined 7,772 babies born at Massachusetts hospitals between March and September 2020. Of those children, 222 were born after their moms tested positive for coronavirus.
Fourteen (6.3%) of the 222 virus-exposed babies were later diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder, the study showed. In contrast, 227 (3%) of the 7,550 babies who weren’t exposed to the virus in the womb developed a neurodevelopmental disorder.
Read the full story here.