The CDC says only 6 SC counties should still mask up often for COVID. Here’s the list

Only people in six South Carolina counties should still be masking up often for COVID-19 after a spike of virus across the state earlier this summer, federal health officials say.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest community levels map shows six counties with high levels of COVID-19. Another 19 counties have medium levels and 21 counties reported low levels of the virus.

In early August, the CDC reported 32 counties had high levels of COVID-19. That number has slowly dropped ever since.

The CDC recommends communities with high levels of COVID-19 wear masks indoors in public and on public transportation. It also recommends staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, get tested if you have symptoms and, if you are at high risk for severe illness, to take additional precautions.

For communities at medium levels, the CDC recommends people wear masks if they have symptoms, have had a positive test or were recently exposed to someone with COVID-19.

The latest South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control statistics show that as of Sept. 10, cases of COVID-19 were down 33.6% from the previous week. Hospitalizations related to COVID-19 were down 9.6% from last week.

Here are the six counties with high COVID-19 levels, according to the CDC.

1. Oconee
2. Pickens
3. Lexington
4. Richland
5. Chesterfield
6. Dorchester

Here are the 19 counties with medium COVID-19 levels.

1. Anderson
2. Greenville
3. Spartanburg
4. Cherokee
5. Laurens
6. Union
7. Chester
8. Newberry
9. Fairfield
10. Marlboro
11. Darlington
12. Florence
13. Williamsburg
14. Berkeley
15. Charleston
16. Calhoun
17. Orangeburg
18. Hampton
19. Colleton

Here are the 21 counties with low COVID-19 levels.

1. Abbeville
2. McCormick
3. Greenwood
4. Edgefield
5. Saluda
6. Aiken
7. Barnwell
8. Allendale
9. Bamberg
10. Jasper
11. Beaufort
12. York
13. Lancaster
14. Kershaw
15. Lee
16. Sumter
17. Clarendon
18. Dillon
19. Marion
20. Horry
21. Georgetown

Patrick McCreless

The State

803-771-8353

Patrick McCreless is the Southeast service journalism editor for McClatchy, who leads and edits a team of six reporters in South Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi. The team writes about trending news of the day and topics that help readers in their daily lives and better informs them about their communities. He attended Jacksonville State University in Alabama and grew up in Tuscaloosa, AL.