USC raises COVID-19 risk status amid omicron’s rise. Here’s what you need to know

As the omicron variant sends COVID-19 cases throughout the state to record levels, the University of South Carolina has also reported a spike.

As of Tuesday, 676 students and 191 employees — for a total of 867 people — are actively positive with a COVID-19 infection. Since Jan. 1, 874 students and 230 employees have tested positive for COVID-19, according to USC’s online COVID dashboard.

The last time USC released daily case data was Dec. 4, when there were 19 active cases on campus, according to its online dashboard.

While high, the cases thus far have had “relatively mild symptoms, but that doesn’t mean we’re not taking it seriously,” said USC’s chief health officer, Jason Stacy, during a Tuesday press conference.

The student percent positive rate is 23.4% and the employee percent positive rate is 9.7%, according to USC’s online dashboard. The increase in cases has led to USC upping its campus status from “new normal” to “low.”

Though classes began Monday, Jan. 10, the Tuesday case numbers were the first posted since students returned to campus.

The rise in cases follows a soaring number of COVID-19 cases throughout the state, thanks in part to the omicron variant. In the last two weeks, S.C. has set the single-day new case record four times, topping out at 16,600 on Monday, The State reported previously.

While cases are on the rise at USC, more people who study and work at the university are getting vaccinated. As of Tuesday, 69% of students, 82% of faculty and 69% of staff are vaccinated; 70% of everyone on campus is vaccinated, according to USC’s dashboard. That is an increase from August, when 61% of students and employees on campus were vaccinated, The State reported previously.

USC’s vaccination rate does not consider whether a person received a booster shot, Stacy said. USC wants to know the number of students and employees who received boosters, but needs to build in a new digital tool to do so, Stacy said.

Stacy called the rate of vaccination on campus “high” but said the university continues to encourage people to get vaccinated.

“Your vaccinations and your boosters are still your best protection,” Stacy said.

Stacy credited USC’s Garnet and Vaxxed program — which sought to increase vaccinations on campus — plus the university offering prizes such as tuition, football tickets, iPads, $1,000 travel grants and more, with helping drive up campus vaccination rates.

While the Garnet and Vaxxed program continues, USC doesn’t plan to continue to award prizes for vaccinated students and employees.

“We don’t have any plan to offer incentives because we think we got the majority of the bang for our buck with incentives last semester,” Stacy said.

This story was originally published January 11, 2022 at 4:11 PM.