SC COVID-19 cases spike for 7th week straight. Columbia giving out more vaccines and tests
COVID-19 cases in South Carolina have increased for the seventh week in a row, prompting the state health department to urge the public to take better measures to prevent contracting a severe infection.
COVID cases are up 22.1% over the previous week and 92.4% compared to a month ago, data from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control shows.
According to DHEC, COVID cases have increased in the last seven weeks, starting with 951 cases the week of March 27-April 2 and consistently rising each week, reaching 5,566 new cases in the second week of May. In that same timeframe, COVID-related deaths dropped each week, from 27 the week of March 27-April 2 to 10 deaths during the most recently reported week.
“While we continue to track reportable cases, treating COVID-19 as endemic means paying closer attention to severe cases of the virus, meaning those that unfortunately result in hospitalization and death,” said Dr. Edward Simmer, DHEC director. “We are encouraged by seeing our hospitals operating at less than maximum capacity and seeing deaths on a steady decline over the last several weeks.”
As the summer months approach and families begin traveling and spending more time around people outside of their households, DHEC is encouraging everyone to continue taking steps to prevent surges. These preventative measures include getting tested when recommended, masking during times of high transmission or by choice and getting all recommended COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters if eligible.
In a Wednesday press release, the city of Columbia announced it had partnered with DHEC to offer COVID vaccinations and tests at city-operated parks. DHEC will hand out self-administering test kits and provide vaccinations at each clinic.
During May, the following clinics will be open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.:
- Charles R. Drew Wellness Center, 2101 Solomon Way: May 19
- Hyatt Park, 950 Jackson Ave.: May 24 and May 26
Also, DHEC supplies free, rapid antigen home tests at its public health departments across the state and encourages residents to check availability at a nearby location. The department also encourages residents to take advantage of the free home tests being offered through the federal government at covidtests.gov. Residents can now order a third round of tests that will be mailed directly to their home.
“While DHEC will continue playing a very important role in preventing COVID-19 cases, individuals’ personal decisions to act now will determine how successful we are at limiting severe cases this summer and beyond,” Simmer said. “So we encourage everyone to use good judgment and continue making decisions that will keep themselves and their loved ones safe.”
For more information on DHEC’s COVID-19 recommendations, visit our endemic page.
This story was originally published May 19, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
