In a pinch, you can wait up to six weeks to receive your second dose of the coronavirus vaccine, experts from the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control said on February 10. But the sooner, the better.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that the best guideline is for the second injection of the vaccine manufactured by Moderna to be given every four weeks, and the drug manufactured by Pfizer, given every three weeks. Maintaining this is ideal.
But when the lack of vaccines and difficult logistics prevent this, it is not a problem to wait any longer, said Dr. Linda Bell, DHEC’s chief epidemiologist.
It is normal to receive the second dose of the vaccine a few days earlier than it should and even a few weeks after the recommended period, she said.
“It shouldn’t significantly affect the body’s immune response.”
There is no evidence to support obtaining the second dose beyond six weeks. A second dose for both authorized vaccines increases the effectiveness to 95 percent.
New CDC recommendations also state that people vaccinated with both doses will no longer need to be quarantined if they are exposed to the virus.
State figures
New cases reported: 1,516.
Total cases in SC: 417,807 confirmed, 55,333 probable.
Positive percentage: 12.5 percent.
New reported deaths: 39 confirmed, 10 likely.
Total deaths in SC: 6,923 confirmed, 819 probable.
Percentage of ICU beds occupied: 79 percent.
How does SC rank in vaccines administered by 100,000 people? 42 on February 9, according to the CDC.
Most affected areas
In the total number of recently confirmed cases, Greenville, Horry and Richland counties saw the highest totals.
What about the tri-county?
Charleston County had 103 new cases, while Berkeley counted 37 and Dorchester saw 50.
Deaths
Nine of the new confirmed deaths reported occurred in people aged 35 to 64, with the remainder in patients aged 65 and over.
Hospitalizations
Of the 1,439 patients with COVID-19 hospitalized on February 10, 334 were in the ICU and 200 were using ventilators.
Long-term care facilities
There were 17,893 confirmed cases of coronavirus in nursing homes and assisted living facilities: 11,085 residents and 6,808 employees, according to DHEC data. This is an 8% increase in cases over two weeks.
So far, 1,807 residents have died from the virus, a 16 percent mortality rate. Twenty-nine workers also died. Together, they account for 27 percent of deaths in the state, the data for February 7 show.
Of the 685 installations monitored by DHEC, the virus was found in 489. There are active outbreaks in 218 of them, a reduction of 7% in two weeks.
Some type of visitation – internal, external or both – is allowed in 362 installations; 305 do not allow; 18 did not report.
What do the experts say?
Bell also encouraged people to consider some of the residual health effects of contracting COVID-19.
“There is a background image that people may not be aware of and these are the long-term consequences of COVID-19 infection,” she said.
Some of these effects include reports of blindness and hair loss, as well as “prolonged recoveries,” said Bell.
As always, Bell asked people to wear masks, distance themselves socially and wash their hands to prevent the disease from spreading.