As South Carolina prepares to enter its next phase of public vaccination, the state expects to receive more doses of vaccine in a week than in the whole year.
Deliveries of the first doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are expected to total about 111,000 in the week of March 8, the day of service open to those over 55, frontline workers and people with health problems or disabilities that put them at greater risk. COVID-19 risk. South Carolina also expects a 41,100 vaccine shipment made by Johnson & Johnson next week, according to the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Although it is an increase of about 46,000 first doses compared to the previous week, hospitals and other vaccinators in the state say they are still experiencing vaccine shortages while trying to work on their waiting lists.
Most of the doses that South Carolina received, but not yet distributed, are made by Moderna. These vaccines go mainly to retail pharmacies, with Ingles, Walmart and Publix receiving the largest amount so far.
State figures
New cases reported: 819 confirmed, 374 probable.
Total cases in SC: 447,085 confirmed, 74,478 probable.
Positive percentage: 5.5 percent.
New reported deaths: 38 confirmed, seven likely.
Total deaths in SC: 7,660 confirmed, 1,000 probable.
Percentage of ICU beds occupied: 73 percent.
How does SC rank in vaccines administered by 100,000 people?
44 as of March 3, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most affected areas
In the total number of new confirmed cases, Greenville County (130), Richland County (74) and Spartanburg County (63) saw the highest totals.
What about the tri-county?
Charleston County had 55 new cases on March 4, while Berkeley and Dorchester counties had 21.
Deaths
Seven of the new confirmed deaths reported were people aged 35 to 64 and the remaining 31 were patients aged 65 and over.
Hospitalizations
Of the 734 patients with COVID-19 hospitalized on March 4, 180 were in the ICU and 91 were using ventilators.
What do the experts say?
According to a weekly report created by the White House coronavirus task force, rates for new South Carolina COVID-19 cases are improving.
South Carolina ranked fifth in new cases per 100,000 people – an improvement over previous weeks. Palmetto State was 37th in new deaths in the report, which covers the week that started on February 28.
The White House’s national assessment still notes that most of South Carolina is considered a “sustainable hotspot”. He called Sumter, in particular, as one of the small communities in the United States where cases are increasing most rapidly.