It appears that the demand for nominations for the COVID-19 vaccine in South Carolina may be decreasing somewhat, according to the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control.
An agency official explained that this was expected; in fact, the same trend was observed at the end of Phase 1A. No decision has yet been made on whether to open the vaccine’s eligibility for Phase 1C, but Nick Davidson, DHEC’s senior public health representative, said it is something they will follow closely in the coming days.
Meanwhile, South Carolina ranks 28th in the country in terms of new COVID-19 cases per capita and 46th for COVID-related deaths, according to a new White House report published this week.
Almost all counties in the state are still considered “high transmission”.
State figures
New cases reported: 436 confirmed, 398 probable.
Total cases in SC: 460,736 confirmed, 83,189 probable.
Positive percentage: 4.7 percent.
New reported deaths: 23 confirmed, 6 probable.
Total deaths in SC: 7,992 confirmed, 1,063 probable.
Percentage of ICU beds occupied: 68.2 percent.
How does SC rank in vaccines administered by 100,000 people?
43rd on March 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most affected areas
In the total number of new confirmed cases, Greenville County (74), Horry County (47) and Berkeley County (38) recorded the highest totals.
What about the tri-county?
Charleston County had 36 new cases confirmed on March 24, while Berkeley had 38 and Dorchester 16.
Deaths
Among the new probable and confirmed deaths that were reported, one was a young adult (age 18-34); five were people aged 35 to 64 and 23 were patients aged 65 or over.
Hospitalizations
Of the 547 patients with COVID-19 hospitalized on March 24, 1,761 were in the ICU and 56 were using ventilators.
Asylum
There were 19,585 confirmed cases of coronavirus in nursing homes and assisted living facilities: 12,139 residents and 7,446 employees, according to DHEC data. This is an increase in cases of less than 1 percent in a week.
So far, 1,900 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 24 show.
Of the 688 installations monitored by DHEC, the virus was found in 507. There are active outbreaks in 92 of them, a 40 percent drop since the beginning of March.
Some type of visitation – internal, external or both – is allowed in 624 installations; 47 do not allow; and 17 did not report.
What do the experts say?
Nick Davidson, of DHEC, said providers with doses of vaccine remaining at the end of the day should make an attempt to bring vaccines into the arms of eligible people in Phase 1B. But, “first of all, we want the vaccine to be used. We don’t want any to be wasted.”
He said several providers, including local pharmacies and emergency care centers, are using waiting lists to return to adults who may not have been able to make an appointment, but who have expressed an interest in receiving a vaccine. Ultimately, vaccinating someone on a waiting list who is not strictly eligible in Phase 1B is “better than a missed dose,” said Davidson.
