Over 34% of Beaufort Co.’s 15+ population has started COVID vaccination, DHEC says Friday
State health officials on Friday announced that 1,235 more Beaufort County residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control also reported that an average of 1,037 county residents per day have started vaccination in the past week, though DHEC releases its vaccine data on a two-day delay.
In comparison, the county’s seven-day average of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases per day was 12.7 as of Friday.
About 34% of county residents who are 15 or older have now started vaccination, according to DHEC, and 65.3% of residents have yet to get a dose.
Local vaccine providers have been moving quickly through weekly shipments of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna doses, state data show. Some Johnson & Johnson doses have also been distributed at area pharmacies.
Coronavirus spread, meanwhile, remains low after the winter surge, data show.
Fifteen new COVID-19 cases and seven probable infections were reported in Beaufort County on Friday. No new deaths were announced.
Jasper County recorded zero cases and no deaths Friday.
Local numbers
COVID-19 inoculation rate for Beaufort County residents as of Wednesday (the most recent date for which data are available): 3,464 vaccine recipients per 10,000 residents. That’s the fourth-highest rate in South Carolina, though it could be inflated to some degree due to a ZIP code-level data issue.
Number of residents who have received at least one dose: 54,156
Total number of doses administered: 70,706
New first-dose vaccinations announced Friday: 1,235
Seven-day average of new first-dose vaccinations: 1,037 per day
Percentage of the county’s 15 and older population who have received at least one dose: 34.6%
Biggest vaccinator: Beaufort Memorial Hospital, which has administered 17,298 first Pfizer-BioNTech doses since mid-December
Statewide numbers
New first-dose vaccinations announced Friday: 27,813
Number of residents who have received at least one dose: 1,163,103
Percentage of the state’s 15 and older population who have received at least one dose: 28.3%
Percentage of S.C. residents who have completed vaccination: 15%
ZIP code data
Okatie’s ZIP code of 29909, which includes Sun City Hilton Head, continues to lead the county with 11,571 resident vaccinations since late last year, though that may be an overcount, according to DHEC data. Bluffton’s 29910 ZIP code has recorded 11,378 resident inoculations, which is the second-highest figure in the county.
Hilton Head Island’s 29926 ZIP code, covering the north side, has 9,160 vaccinations. The 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has 7,579 vaccinations, according to DHEC.
Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code has reported 3,752 inoculations.
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 ZIP code data.
More information on ZIP code-level vaccine data can be found at the following link online: http://bit.ly/BeaufortCountyVaccines
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910, meanwhile, continues to lead the county with 4,452 coronavirus cases reported in the past year. Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code has recorded 2,183 cases since March 2020, which is the second-highest figure in the county.
Hilton Head Island’s 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has 1,175 cases. The 29926 ZIP code on the north side has 1,982 cases, according to DHEC data.
Okatie’s 29909 ZIP code has reported 1,131 cases.
Virus spread in Beaufort County
Seven-day average of new cases: 12.7 per day
Total cases: 14,510 confirmed, according to DHEC
Total deaths: 187 confirmed, according to DHEC
Two-week cumulative incidence rate as of Wednesday: 98.9 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.
