Even though delays in shipments and unstable deliveries have raised concerns for people who may not be able to receive their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in time, a survey released on March 15 shows that the problem is not widespread: only 2 , 5% of Southern Carolinians stopped taking the second dose.
The research document from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data from 12.5 million vaccine recipients in the United States, including 182,000 people in South Carolina.
The number of missed doses in South Carolina was better than the national average of 3.4 percent; Virginia had the highest rate of missed doses, 7.8%.
If they receive one of the two-dose vaccines, people should wait four weeks for the Moderna option and three weeks for Pfizer. But the CDC said the second injection “can be given up to 42 days after the first dose, when a delay is inevitable.”
In South Carolina, among people who took both doses, 95% received the follow-up injection for the recommended period of time, slightly below the national average.
Although the percentages of people who have lost their photos are small, the CDC still believes that there is still more work to be done on the subject.
“Public health officials must work to better understand whether missed doses or delays are caused by challenges to accessing the vaccine … or because of other challenges related to the confidence or acceptance of the vaccine,” wrote the researchers.
Another important lesson: in total, nine out of 10 people are getting both photos on time.
State figures
New cases reported: 733 confirmed, 228 probable.
Total cases in SC: 456,296 confirmed, 79,804 probable.
Positive percentage: 4.5 percent.
New reported deaths: 38 confirmed, 14 probable.
Total deaths in SC: 7,890 confirmed, 1,043 probable.
Percentage of ICU beds occupied: 68.95 percent.
How does SC rank in vaccines administered by 100,000 people?
42nd on March 16, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most affected areas
In the total number of new confirmed cases, Greenville County (101), Charleston County (62) and Richland County (62) saw the highest totals.
What about the tri-county?
Charleston County had 62 new cases on March 17, while Berkeley had 21 and Dorchester 25.
Deaths
13 of the new confirmed deaths reported were people aged 35 to 64 and 37 were patients aged 65 and over.
Hospitalizations
Of the 576 patients with COVID-19 admitted on March 17, 130 were in the ICU and 58 were using ventilators.
Long-term care facilities
There were 19,459 confirmed cases of coronavirus in nursing homes and assisted living facilities: 12,047 residents and 7,412 employees, according to DHEC data.
This is an increase in cases of less than 1 percent over the course of a week.
So far, 1,888 residents have died from the virus, a 16 percent mortality rate. Twenty-nine workers also died. Together, they account for 24 percent of deaths in the state, the data for March 14 show.
Of the 688 installations monitored by DHEC, the virus was found in 507. There are active outbreaks in 100 of them, down 31% in one week.
Some type of visitation – internal, external or both – is allowed in 493 installations; 177 do not allow; and 18 did not report.
Catch up Mary Katherine Wildeman at 843-607-4312. Follow her on Twitter @mkwildeman.