South Carolina has the lowest number of coronavirus vaccines delivered to its residents, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The figures, which the CDC updated on Friday afternoon, show the state of Palmetto with 16,061 doses delivered for every 100,000 residents. No other state or territory has such a low rate.
The state does a little better in administration fees. Six states – Rhode Island, Kansas, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri and Alabama – have distributed more vaccines than SC, but have lower administration numbers.
State figures
New cases reported: 1,561 confirmed, 402 likely.
Total cases in SC: 423,711 confirmed, 59,429 probable.
Positive percentage: 6.4 percent.
New deaths reported: 13 confirmed, 5 probable.
Total deaths in SC: 7,072 confirmed, 839 probable.
Percentage of ICU beds occupied: 78.7 percent.
How does SC rank in vaccines administered by 100,000 people? 44 as of February 12, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most affected areas
In the total number of new confirmed cases, Greenville, Richland and Spartanburg counties recorded the highest totals.
What about the tri-county?
Charleston County had 106 new cases on February 13, while Berkeley counted 51 and Dorchester saw 35.
Deaths
One of the new confirmed deaths reported was a patient aged between 35 and 64 years, with the rest of the patients aged 65 and over.
Hospitalizations
Of the 1,302 patients with COVID-19 hospitalized on February 13, 301 were in the ICU and 174 were using ventilators.
What do the experts say?
The CDC encourages people to continue to wear masks, avoid crowds, stand 1.8 m away from others and avoid poorly ventilated spaces. Dr. Linda Bell, DHEC’s chief epidemiologist, said that now is not the time to relax these preventive measures.
The CDC issued guidelines recommending that the use of two well-fitting masks on top of each other increases their effectiveness.
It is recommended that people who are away from home in the community get tested for COVID-19 once a month or earlier if they develop symptoms or live with someone who is positive for the virus.
Talk to Sara Coello at 843-901-2995 and follow her on Twitter @smlcoello.