180 more Beaufort Co. residents vaccinated against COVID-19, DHEC reports Tuesday
Roughly 180 more Beaufort County residents have been vaccinated against COVID-19, state health officials reported Tuesday.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control releases data on a two-day lag, meaning numbers announced Tuesday were recorded Sunday.
A dip in vaccinations was expected over the weekend.
The county has one of the highest vaccination rates per 10,000 residents in South Carolina, according to DHEC. That rate may be slightly inflated due to a ZIP code-level data issue, The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette previously reported.
Regardless, Beaufort County vaccine providers have been moving quickly through weekly shipments of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna doses, state data show.
The Beaufort County School District, meanwhile, in a Tuesday email announced that two pop-up vaccine clinics for employees will be held Thursday, with appointments available from 3 to 6 p.m. at Hilton Head Hospital and 1 to 7 p.m. at Bluffton Early Childhood Center.
About 600 employees — 20% of the district’s total workforce — received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at similar clinics last week.
The district saw a spike of COVID-19 cases and quarantines following winter break, when students returned to full-time, in-person classes for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. At one point, more than 1,600 district students and staff were quarantining.
Active coronavirus cases and quarantines, though, have decreased significantly since January. District spokesperson Candace Bruder said Tuesday that between March 1 and March 14, six staff and 33 students tested positive for COVID-19. According to the district’s COVID-19 case dashboard, between 531 and 606 students and staff were quarantining from March 6 to March 12.
Having access to the vaccine “means a lot to teachers,” district superintendent Frank Rodriguez said. “Some are very concerned about safety, and others are less concerned but still want to be vaccinated. ... We want teachers to feel as safe and comfortable as possible.”
Local coronavirus spread, meanwhile, is continuing to slow after the Palmetto State’s holiday surge of infections.
Ten new COVID-19 cases and one probable infection were reported in Beaufort County on Tuesday. No new deaths were announced in the county.
Jasper County recorded three cases and no deaths Tuesday.
Local numbers
COVID-19 inoculation rate for Beaufort County residents as of Sunday (the most recent date for which data is available): 2,873 per 10,000 residents. That’s the fourth-highest rate in South Carolina, though it could be inflated to some degree.
Number of residents who have received at least one dose: 44,909
Number of doses administered: These DHEC data were not immediately available Tuesday afternoon
New first-dose vaccinations announced Tuesday: 182
Percentage of the county’s 15 and older population who have received at least one dose: 28.7%
Biggest vaccinator: Beaufort Memorial Hospital, which has administered 14,237 first Pfizer-BioNTech doses since mid-December
DHEC releases most of its coronavirus vaccine data based on residency. If a Beaufort County resident is vaccinated out of state or in a different S.C. county, they would still be counted in DHEC’s Beaufort County-specific data.
Statewide numbers
New first-dose vaccinations announced Monday: 5,446
Number of residents who have received at least one dose: 934,412
Percentage of the state’s 15 and older population who have received at least one dose: 22.8%
Percentage of S.C. residents who have completed vaccination: 12.6%
Phase 1a included health care workers and seniors, among other people.
Vaccinations by ZIP code
Okatie’s ZIP code of 29909, which includes Sun City Hilton Head, continues to lead the county with 10,528 resident vaccinations since late last year, though that may be an overcount, according to DHEC data. Bluffton’s 29910 ZIP code, meanwhile, has recorded 9,067 resident inoculations, which is the second-highest figure in the county.
Hilton Head Island’s 29926 ZIP code, covering the north side, has 7,768 vaccinations. The 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has 6,353 vaccinations, according to DHEC.
Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code has reported 2,991 inoculations.
More information on ZIP code-level data can be found at the following link online: http://bit.ly/BeaufortCountyVaccines
Virus data in Beaufort County
Seven-day average of new cases: 10.1
Total cases: 14,357 confirmed, according to DHEC
Total deaths: 184 confirmed, according to DHEC
Two-week cumulative incidence rate as of Sunday: 125.4 cases per 100,000 people, a “moderate” rate under DHEC’s definition. An incidence rate measures how quickly a disease is spreading through a given population.
Dr. Scott Curry, an infectious disease specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, has previously said counties should aim to have a two-week incidence rate of less than 50 new cases per 100,000 people.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow we covered this story
Facts about COVID-19 vaccine distribution in South Carolina are changing rapidly. The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette are trying to publish important information as quickly and accurately as possible. This story may be updated if more information becomes available or if facts become clearer.
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 2:17 PM.
